# Characterization of Early Response to Chronic Lung Injury using Chest CT

> **NIH NIH K08** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $170,320

## Abstract

Project Summary
 In some individuals chronic tobacco smoke exposure results in emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis.
Both of these parenchymal changes are irreversible, highlighting the importance of the early identification of
their development and progression. Unfortunately, currently available methods for detecting the presence and
evolution of these changes have limited sensitivity and specificity for very early disease and for subtle disease
progression. Dr. Ash’s work has shown that automated objective analysis of computed tomography (CT)
scans of the chest can detect clinically relevant radiologic findings called interstitial changes that may
represent early pulmonary fibrosis, even in individuals without visually apparent disease. In the first aim of this
proposal, Dr. Ash will refine and utilize a more sensitive and specific automated CT analysis tool that he and
his lab have developed for the detection of both emphysema and interstitial changes. He will determine if
emphysema and interstitial changes detected using this method are clinically significant in those patients
deemed normal by previously performed visual analysis and in those deemed normal by other objective
approaches. In the second aim, he will determine if areas of locally high density tissue in visually normal
appearing lung parenchyma measured using augmented versions of his objective analysis tools are associated
with mortality, other clinical outcomes, and peripheral measures of inflammation. Finally, in the third aim he
will utilize these techniques to analyze longitudinal CT scans from the COPDGene study that were obtained
over 10 years of follow-up, and will identify factors that predict or modify the development and progression of
parenchymal changes on CT.
 Dr. Ash will perform this work in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and
Women’s Hospital (BWH), a core teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, under the mentorship of Dr.
George Washko, an expert in the field of medical image analysis and the co-principal investigator of the
Applied Chest Imaging Laboratory at BWH. With the guidance of Dr. Washko and his scientific advisory
committee, Dr. Ash has developed a comprehensive five year training program to develop the skills needed to
become an independent investigator with expertise in quantitative image analysis, including predictive
modeling and statistical machine learning.
 Dr. Ash is dedicated to a career in academic medicine. His goal is to become a clinician-scientist using
the skills gained during this award to improve our ability to detect and monitor smoking related lung disease.
The techniques he has proposed may help identify modifiable risk factors and treatments for smoking related
lung disease, determine which patients are likely to benefit from treatment, and monitor the response to
therapy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9843731
- **Project number:** 5K08HL145118-02
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Samuel Ash
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $170,320
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-01-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9843731

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9843731, Characterization of Early Response to Chronic Lung Injury using Chest CT (5K08HL145118-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9843731. Licensed CC0.

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