# CoPARC: Colorado Pulmonary Alcohol Research Collaborative

> **NIH NIH R24** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2022 · $699,257

## Abstract

Project Summary
The goal of this proposal is to seek continued support to augment and sustain an established Alcohol
Research Resource, known as CoPARC (Colorado Pulmonary-Alcohol Research Collaborative). CoPARC's
mission is to facilitate research that will prevent the development of alcohol-associated pneumonia, ameliorate
its deleterious complications, and ultimately improve clinical outcomes. Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) confer an
eight-fold increased risk for community-acquired pneumonia. AUDs also increase morbidity for patients with
pneumonia, including increasing the risk of respiratory failure necessitating intensive care unit (ICU) admission
and mechanical ventilation. Further, AUD-associated pneumonia is frequently complicated by the development
of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Centered at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) and
led by Ellen L. Burnham, MD, MS, the CoPARC infrastructure has enabled enrollment of over 370 ambulatory
subjects with and without AUDs, and 237 critically ill patients with pneumonia or burn injury, established ARDS
risk factors that are more prevalent in patients with AUDs. Resource materials have originated from institutions
with a history of NIAAA-funded translational research in alcohol-related pulmonary diseases, including UCD,
Emory University (EU), and Loyola University Chicago (LUC); and from the University of California San
Francisco (UCSF) with NHLBI support. Presently, thousands of biospecimens have been collected, including
bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and cell aliquots; bronchial brushings; and blood specimens. To date, 26
investigators from 11 external institutions have utilized over 6100 biospecimens from 92% of the enrolled
subjects. For the renewal, 4 sites (EU, LUC, UCSF, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center) and UCD
will collect materials for CoPARC. A Steering Committee comprised of investigators from UCD, EU, LUC,
Louisiana State University, UNMC, and Thomas Jefferson University will provide rigorous oversight for
CoPARC, including prioritization of biospecimen distribution, and ensuring that milestones promoting use of the
Resource are achieved. Innovations that are planned include collection of novel specimens such as whole lung
explants; expertise in high-throughput genomics applications; access to administrative data sets enriched in
patients with alcohol use; and organization of clinical, inventory, and experimental data to foster cross-
investigator sharing. Aims for the renewal are in line with the NIAAA's strategic plan to identify mechanisms of
alcohol action and alcohol-related pathology to more fully understand how alcohol asserts its effects on human
health. They include: 1) expand and diversify clinical and biological materials obtained from ambulatory
subjects with AUDs and critically ill patients, along with appropriate controls, 2) engage emerging web-based
systems to prioritize data and biospecimen sharing, and streamline communications ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10396546
- **Project number:** 5R24AA019661-10
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** ELLEN L BURNHAM
- **Activity code:** R24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $699,257
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2011-08-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10396546

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10396546, CoPARC: Colorado Pulmonary Alcohol Research Collaborative (5R24AA019661-10). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10396546. Licensed CC0.

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