Chair's Summary: Lung Aging and Regeneration 2016 Transatlantic Airway Conference

摘要

The Transatlantic Airway Conference is a multidisciplinary conference established in 1986 with the main objective of providing a forum to discuss the most relevant topics related to lung physiology and diseases. The 2016 Transatlantic Airway Conference took place from January 13th to January 15th in Lucerne, Switzerland, and the focus was on aging and regeneration in the lungs. The meeting was attended by a kaleidoscope of well-known pulmonologists together with scientists in the field of aging research, all of whom congregated to discuss the basic aspects of aging and its impact on the development of chronic lung diseases. Given the expected increase of the aging population in the next 30 years, the principal objective of this conference was to increase the awareness and understanding of the physiologic mechanisms of aging in the lung. It is a major concern that the increase in the lifespan of the overall human population will enhance the vulnerability to develop morbidities associated with age. Compared with the enormous effort spent on the study of aging in cardiovascular-, metabolic-, and neurological-related fields, thus far the research in age-related lung diseases has been limited. Despite the increased incidence and prevalence of chronic lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with age, and the higher clinical severity and mortality of lung diseases such as asthma and acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with advanced age, the physiologic process of aging in the lung and the pathobiology of age-related lung diseases remain poorly understood.