June 15, 2026
UNC School of Medicine researchers report that taking vitamin D orally has repeatedly failed to improve outcomes for people with chronic lung diseases. Inhaling vitamin D directly into the airways could offer a more effective, targeted treatment.
May 12, 2026
The findings suggest that people with bronchiectasis who also have chronic sinus disease may be more likely to have Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria that can make lung disease harder to treat.
February 4, 2026
UNC researchers have received ~$7.3M from NHLBI to lead the Rare Bronchiectatic Diseases Consortium, advancing research on four rare lung diseases that cause progressive bronchiectasis. The effort builds on UNC’s national leadership and aims to accelerate discovery, clinical trials, and new therapies for underserved patient populations.
February 2, 2026
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine have developed a tool that can identify airway mucus abnormalities in patients with chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or asthma before symptoms start.
July 2, 2025
Duane McKay, 40, receives life-saving double transplant at UNC Hospitals after battling leukemia five years prior.
September 21, 2023
Ron Alterovitz, PhD, in the UNC Computer Science Department, and Jason Akulian, MD MPH, in the UNC School of Medicine, have shown that their steerable lung robot can autonomously maneuver the intricacies of the lung, while avoiding important lung structures.
September 12, 2023
A phase 2 study, led by Thomas W. Ferkol, MD, at the UNC School of Medicine, demonstrates safety and efficacy of idrevloride with hypertonic saline for treatment of primary ciliary dyskinesia, a rare genetic disorder that can lead to permanent lung damage.
July 19, 2023
Ilona Jaspers, PhD, director of the UNC Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology, co-authored a study with colleagues from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on possible effects of wildfire smoke in-utero or in the first weeks of life.
July 11, 2023
Springer recently released "Chronic Illness Care, Principles and Practice," edited by UNC Family Medicine's Timothy P. Daaleman, DO, MPH, and Margaret R. Helton, MD. Faculty members in the Department of Family Medicine, faculty across the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, and other national and international experts wrote the textbook.
January 3, 2023
Meghan Rebuli, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the UNC School of Medicine and member of the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology, shares new findings and recommendations from an expert-led workshop.
June 30, 2022
With the FDA ordering Juul to stop selling their e-cigarette devices, UNC School of Medicine researchers led by Ilona Jaspers, PhD, published the first study to compare the respiratory immune health effects of different types of devices.
April 29, 2022
James S. Hagood, MD, professor in the UNC Department of Pediatrics and Director of the Program for Rare and Interstitial Lung Disease of the UNC Children’s Research Institute and Marsico Lung Institute, has been selected as a Harrington Scholar-Innovator for his work on a therapeutic Strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.