Curso: Pulmonary Surfactant Therapies: From The Biophysics Laboratory To New Developments In Respiratory Medicine

The pulmonary surfactant system, rather unknown by the general public, is however an essential element to facilitate the mechanical work of lungs, in charge of mobilizing the thousands of litters of air required for providing the oxygen that the tissues need to be alive. The absence or deficiency of surfactant lead to severe respiratory pathologies, some of which are routinely treated at the intensive care units of our hospitals. During the last decades, the exogenous surfactant supplementation therapies have saved thousands of baby lives. Other important pathologies, like pulmonary fibrosis, are still one of the major causes of mortality at the intensive care units of our hospitals. Much research is still needed to develop new surfactant materials good enough to treat severe paediatric and adult pathologies. Much has also to be done to develop efficient treatments for rare respiratory diseases.

This course will review the current situation of the basic research in this field as well as the future transfer of this knowledge to the clinics.

Director: Jesús Pérez Gil. Universidad Complutense

Secretaria: Mercedes Echaide Torreguitar. Universidad Complutense

Cordinador: Eduardo Martínez Naves

Patrocina: Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A.; Fundación Lovexair; Asociación de Familiares y Enfermos de Fibrosis Pulmonar idiopática

Colabora: Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red – Enfermedades respiratorias