Interstitial Lung Disease Program | Research & Innovation

The Interstitial Lung Disease program at Boston Children's is a part of the Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease Research Network (chILDRN), a network of physician-scientists from across the country who work together to conduct research to advance the field of these rare disorders. As core members of this working group, our physicians have been integral in the formation of a new multicenter ILD database that can be used to further improve our understanding and treatment of children with these diseases, as well as publication of a consensus Clinical Practice Guidelines for infants with ILD.

Our researchers contributed to a recently published pivotal genotype-phenotype correlation study in ABCA3 surfactant protein deficiency. Additionally, there are active collaborative research projects at Boston Children’s between the Division of Pulmonary Medicine and the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, enrolling families for whole exome sequencing to identify genetic causes for rare diffuse lung disorders. Several promising genes have already been identified.