Bay Biosciences provides high quality, clinical grade cryogenically preserved (-80°C) sera (serum), plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and BAL biofluid specimens from patient’s diagnosed with chronic respiratory disease.

Moreover, the serum, plasma, PBMC and BAL bio-fluid samples are processed using customized protocols, from unique chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients for genomics, proteomics and biomarker research.

In addition, detailed clinical data, biomarker information, LFT (pulmonary), CT scan, ABG analysis, bronchoscopy annotations and patients history associated with the COPD sera (serum), plasma, PBMC and BAL biofluid samples is provided to a valued customer for drug discovery, development and research. 

Chronic Respiratory Diseases are Chronic Diseases Overview

Chronic respiratory diseases are, in fact, chronic diseases of the airways and other parts of the lung. Specifically, some of the most common chronic respiratory diseases are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, sleep apnea, and occupational lung diseases.

Moreover, the most important risk factors for chronic respiratory diseases are tobacco smoking (through personal smoking and, importantly, exposure to second-hand smoking). Notably, cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing lung cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and asthma.

In addition, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic, inflammatory lung disease that arises from exposure to cigarette smoking and other inhaled toxins; furthermore, it results from a gene-environment interaction.

Consequently, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. As a result, symptoms include breathing difficulty, cough, mucus (sputum) production, and wheezing. Additionally, cigarette smoking typically exposes individuals to irritating gases or particulate matter.

Therefore, patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are at increased risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer, and a variety of other conditions.

Disease progression of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is variable; for instance, some patients have a relatively stable course, while, on the other hand, others suffer relentless progression.

Consequently, this can lead to severe shortness of breath, frequent acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD), respiratory failure, and, ultimately, death.

Signs and Symptoms of COPD

Following are signs and symptoms of COPD include:

  • Shortness of breath, especially during physical activities
  • Wheezing 
  • Chest tightness
  • A chronic cough that may produce mucus (sputum) that may be clear, white, yellow or greenish
  • Frequent respiratory infections
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Swelling in ankles, feet or legs

Moreover, a person with severe symptoms may also have:

  • First, a bluish tint to the lips or fingernail beds
  • Second, shortness of breath while talking
  • In addition, reduced mental alertness
  • Finally, a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)

Furthermore, anyone with any severe symptoms should receive immediate medical care.

In addition, if symptoms are mild, a person may not realize that they have COPD. Almost 6.4% of the U.S. population have diagnosed COPD, but its actual prevalence may be far more extensive.

Causes and Risk Factors of COPD

In the U.S., as many as 75% of people with COPD smoke or once did. Beyond smoking, COPD risk factors include:

  • First, exposure to secondhand smoke
  • Second, exposure to other air pollutants and toxins, at home or in the workplace, for example
  • Moreover, asthma
  • Furthermore, rarely, genetic factors, which may lead to a deficiency of the protective protein alpha-1 antitrypsin
  • Finally, a family history of COPD

Additionally, if COPD develops before the age of 40, there is usually an underlying health issue, such as an alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

Moreover, asthma can increase the risk of COPD because it inflames and narrows the airways. However, treatment can usually reverse any damage resulting from asthma.

Diagnosis of COPD

Various conditions can cause coughing and breathing problems. For instance, if a person has COPD, these symptoms persist and worsen over time.

To identify COPD, a doctor:

  • First, considers the personal and family medical histories
  • Next, he or she asks about the history of smoking and exposure to other pollutants
  • Additionally, the doctor performs a physical examination, using a stethoscope to listen to the person’s breathing
  • Furthermore the doctor performs or requests:
    • a lung function test
    • an arterial blood test to measure the oxygen levels in the blood
    • imaging tests, such as an X-ray or CT scan

Specifically, one lung function test, spirometry, measures the amount and speed of airflow during a short breath. In this test, the person blows hard into a tube attached to a device called spirometer, which gives the reading.

Consequently, this and similar tests can help rule out other conditions or indicate COPD.

Finally, the doctor will also use the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines to assess COPD symptoms and the risk of them worsening.

Treatment of COPD

There is no cure for COPD. However, treatment involves managing the symptoms to improve the quality of life, reduce the risk of complications, and slow the progression of the health issues involved.

Firstly, smoking cessation is crucial. Quitting smoking can help improve COPD symptoms and slow its progression. In addition, doing so can also prevent COPD.

Air Pollutant Avoidance

Moreover, air pollutant avoidance is essential. Whenever possible, people should  reduce their exposure to air pollutants.

This may involve the following steps:

  • First, avoiding open fires
  • Next, asking others not to smoke nearby,
  • In addition, avoiding places where people are spraying paint or insect repellant,
  • Likewise, staying home with the windows closed when air pollution levels are high, and
  • Lastly, wearing protective gear, such as a mask, when working in a dusty environment.

Drug Treatments

Medications can help manage COPD symptoms and prevent complications.

To help ease breathing, an inhaler may be prescribed that contains a number of drugs. For example, to relax the muscles around the airways and make breathing easier, an inhaler may contain a medication called a bronchodilator. Additionally, an inhaler may also contain a glucocorticoid, a type of corticosteroid that can reduce inflammation in the airways.

Furthermore, some inhalers are for short-term use. Specifically, they act quickly and are effective for a few hours. Consequently, they can make breathing easier during a COPD flare-up. On the other hand, others are for long-term, daily use.

During follow-up visits, the doctor may adjust the medication regimen in order to help control worsening symptoms and flare-ups. Moreover, they may also recommend antibiotics to manage any acute bacterial infection that develops, as well as vaccination to ward off the flu and pneumonia.

In addition, a person with COPD who has effective inhaled treatment may still experience reoccurring flare-ups that require hospital care. In this case, the doctor may recommend the oral anti-inflammatory medication roflumilast (Daliresp) or the oral antibiotic azithromycin (Zithromax) to reduce the frequency of flare-ups.

Ultimately, doctors largely base their choice on anticipated side effects, as researchers have yet to directly compare the efficacy of the two medications.

Oxygen Therapy

If blood oxygen levels are low, a doctor may recommend this treatment; specifically, it involves breathing oxygen through a device,  a mask or nasal prongs, attached to a tank.

Furthermore, people can use this at home, either continuously or only at certain times of the day.

Surgery

In addition, some procedures that may be an option for certain people with COPD include:

  • First, a single or double lung transplant
  • Next, a bullectomy to remove the larger air sacs that affect breathing
  • In addition, the removal of damaged lung tissue, known as lung volume reduction surgery
  • Lastly, the placement of endobronchial valves in the part of the lung with the most damage

Moreover, a surgeon needs special training and equipment to place endobronchial valves.

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.