Bay Biosciences provides high quality, clinical grade fresh frozen cryogenically preserved biopsy tissue samples with matched sera (serum), plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) biofluid samples from patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Moreover, the  serum, plasma and PBMC samples are collected and processed from patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized collection and processing protocols.

Furthermore, the specimens are collected from unique patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and provided to a valued pharmaceutical customer for diagnostics, research, development and drug discovery.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Overview

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. As a result, over the period of time, COPD makes it harder to breathe.

Symptoms include breathing difficulty, cough, mucus or sputum production, and wheezing. Furthermore, it’s typically caused by long-term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter, most often from cigarette smoking. Consequently, patients with COPD are at increased risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer, and a variety of other conditions.

In addition, in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the airways in the lungs become inflamed and thicken, and the tissue where oxygen is exchanged is destroyed. Therefore, the flow of air in and out of the lungs decreases. When this happens, less oxygen gets into the body tissues, and it becomes harder to get rid of the waste gas carbon dioxide. As the disease progresses, shortness of breath makes it harder to remain active.

Moreover, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of diseases that include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Furthermore,  these are the two most common conditions that contribute to COPD. Notably, these two conditions usually occur together and can vary in severity among individuals with COPD.

Chronic Bronchitis is inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from the air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs. Specifically, it’s characterized by daily cough and mucus (sputum) production.

In addition, Emphysema is a condition in which damaging exposure to cigarette smoke (including secondary smoking) and other irritating gases and particulate matter destroys the alveoli at the end of the smallest air passages (bronchioles) of the lungs. Consequently, many people with COPD have both of these conditions.

Chronic Bronchitis

Chronic Bronchitis irritates the bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from the lungs. As a result, in response, the tubes swell and mucus builds up along the lining. Ultimately, the buildup narrows the tube’s opening, making it hard to get air in and out of the lungs.

Furthermore, small, hair-like structures on the inside of the bronchial tubes called cilia normally move mucus out of the airways. However, the irritation from chronic bronchitis and smoking damages them. Therefore, the damaged cilia can’t help clear mucus.

Emphysema

Emphysema is, in fact, the breakdown of the walls of the tiny air sacs (alveoli) at the end of the bronchial tubes, in the bottom of the lung.

In this context, the lung is like an upside-down tree. Specifically, the trunk is the windpipe or trachea, the branches are the bronchi, and the leaves are the air sacs or alveoli.

Moreover, the air sacs play a crucial role in transferring oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out. Consequently, the damage caused by emphysema destroys the walls of the air sacs, making it hard to get a full breath.

Causes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Over time, exposure to irritants that damage your lungs and airways can, in turn, cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Notably, the main cause of COPD is smoking; however, nonsmokers can get COPD too. Therefore, the following are the main known causes of COPD:

Smoking

The majority of all COPD cases, about 90%, are caused by cigarette smoking. When, for instance, a cigarette burns, it creates more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are harmful. In addition, tobacco smoke irritates airways, triggering inflammation (irritation and swelling) that narrows the airways. Furthermore, smoke also damages cilia so they can’t do their job of removing mucus and trapped particles from the airways.

Exposure to the toxins in cigarette smoke, consequently, weakens the lungs’ defense against infections, narrows air passages, causes swelling in air tubes, and destroys air sacs.

Moreover, this also affects people who are not smokers themselves but are exposed to secondary smoke from individuals who are smoking around them. Inhaling toxins, therefore, is one of the main contributing factors for COPD.

Environment

Furthermore, air quality in our environment plays an important part in developing COPD. Specifically, what we breathe every day at home, at work, and outside around our polluted environment can play a significant role in developing COPD.

In particular, long-term exposure to pollutants in the air, secondhand smoke, dust, fumes, and exposure to chemicals, most often worksite related—can ultimately cause COPD.

Alpha-1 Deficiency

In addition, a small number of people develop a rare form of COPD called Antitrypsin (Alpha-1) deficiency-related emphysema. Notably, this form of COPD is caused by a genetic (inherited) condition that is passed from parents to their children through their genes.

It affects the body’s ability to produce a protein (Alpha-1) that protects the lungs. Alpha-1 occurs, specifically, when there is a lack of a protein in the blood called alpha-1 antitrypsin, or AAT.

“The alpha-1 protein (AAT) is mainly produced by the liver. Furthermore, the main function of AAT is to protect the lungs from inflammation caused by infection and inhaled irritants such as tobacco smoke.

In addition, when you have AAT, you don’t produce enough of the enzyme, called alpha-1 antitrypsin. Consequently, your lungs are more likely to become damaged from exposure to irritating substances like smoke and dust.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Risk Factors

  • First, exposure to air pollution
  • Second, working with toxic chemicals, dust or fumes
  • Moreover, being a woman
  • Furthermore, being over the age of 65
  • In addition, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AAT), a genetic risk factor to develop COPD.
  • Finally, a history childhood respiratory infections

Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) makes it harder to breathe. Symptoms may be mild at first, beginning with intermittent coughing and shortness of breath. As it progresses, symptoms can become more constant to where it can become increasingly difficult to breathe.

Patients may experience wheezing and tightness in the chest or have excess sputum production. Some people with COPD have acute exacerbations, which are flare-ups of severe symptoms. Symptoms are likely to get much worse if you continue smoking or are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

Following are some of the common signs and symptoms of COPD:

  • A whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe
  • Cough with mucus that persists for long periods of time
  • Difficulty taking a deep breath
  • Dizziness
  • Shortness of breath with mild exercise (like walking or using the stairs)
  • Chest tightness
  • Shortness of breath performing regular daily activities
  • Wheezing

Additional Symptoms

  • Frequent colds, flu, or other respiratory infections
  • Need to clear mucus from your lungs every day
  • Chronic cough, with or without mucus
  • Lack of energy
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Weight loss
  • Swelling of the feet, ankles, or legs

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Diagnosis

COPD diagnosis is based on symptoms, a physical exam, and diagnostic test results. Some of the following diagnostics tests are performed:

  • Spirometry is a noninvasive test to assess lung function (LFT). During the test, you’ll take a deep breath and then blow into a tube connected to the spirometer.
  • Imaging tests include a chest X-Ray, CT scan. These images can provide a detailed look at your lungs, blood vessels, and heart.
  • An arterial blood gas test involves taking a blood sample from an artery to measure your blood oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other important levels.

These tests can help determine if you have COPD or a different condition, such as asthma, a restrictive lung disease, or heart failure.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Treatment

There is no cure for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, treatments can help with symptoms, slow the progress of the disease, and improve the patients ability to stay active. There are also treatments to prevent or treat complications of the disease. Following COPD Treatments include:

  • Lifestyle changes
  • Medications
  • Oxygen therapy
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation
  • Surgery

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.