An observational study in Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Chronic Cough (CC), sponsored by McMaster University. Recruiting at 7 sites in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-24.
Sponsored by McMaster University · Observational
Chronic lung diseases affect one in five Canadians, causing symptoms such as cough, breathlessness, and wheeze. Despite advancements in medical care, these conditions not only impact individuals and their close circles but also present substantial clinical and economic challenges at a national level. This grant is dedicated to addressing three prevalent lung diseases: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic cough. An alliance of clinicians, scientists, knowledge users, and patient partners from across Canada have come together to establish the Canadian Consortium for Understanding the Role of Airway Mucus Occlusions in Asthma, COPD, and Chronic Cough - "CANMuc." Mucus plays a pivotal role in the symptoms and severity of lung diseases, but its clinical assessment has been challenging. Fortunately, recent medical advances, particularly chest computed tomography (CT), facilitate visualizing and quantifying mucus in patients with lung diseases. Our goal is to initially assess mucus plugging in a diverse group of Canadians without lung disease and then compare these findings to those with asthma, COPD, and chronic cough. The investigators will recruit 100 healthy volunteers for comprehensive clinical and research evaluations, including sputum analyses, breathing tests, quality of life assessments, cough monitoring, and CT scans. In addition, testing will be conducted twice, two years apart, in 240 adult and 50 pediatric participants. This approach will enable the investigators to understand the burden of mucus and how it changes over time, explore proteins or chemicals in mucus that predict mucus persistence, and identify biomarkers that can help guide physicians to prescribe targeted treatments that might work better than others. The CANMuc team's findings will guide strategies for identifying and treating mucus plugging, inform policymakers, and share knowledge with Canadians living with asthma, COPD, and chronic cough.
4,841 studies on the registry are indexed under Asthma; 600 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 240 is above the median of 158 across 1,250 observational studies indexed under Asthma.
Browse Asthma studies →McMaster University is the lead sponsor of 741 studies on the registry; 127 are open to participants now.
Of its 7 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 3 (43%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
A coalition of 25 clinicians and scientists from across Canada have united to establish the Canadian Consortium for understanding the role of airway mucus occlusions in chronic cough, COPD, and asthma (CANMuc).
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Asthma: Respiratory physician confirmed diagnosis of moderate-to-severe asthma and Historical objective evidence of asthma and/or specialist/respirologist confirmation (post-bronchodilator reversibility and/or methacholine bronchoprovocation test \<8 mg/mL)
: Respiratory physician confirmed diagnosis of COPD that is moderate-to-severe according to GOLD criteria (post-bronchodilator /FVC\<LLN and FEV1\< 80%pred) and CAT score ≥10 or mMRC score ≥ 2
Chronic cough: Chronic Cough (RCC) and Unexplained Chronic Cough (UCC) lasting >1 year with Normal chest radiograph and no airflow obstruction (FEV1/FVC >Lower Limit of Normal)
Healthy participants: No history of respiratory disease or other pulmonary disorders and no use of inhaled medications or with normal spirometry and Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale =\<1
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
From a breathing test (spirometry): how much air you can blow out in the first second. Often given as a percentage of what is expected for your age, height and sex.
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
FEV1
From a breathing test (spirometry): how much air you can blow out in the first second. Often given as a percentage of what is expected for your age, height and sex.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Relapsed and refractory
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Other: Observational
Other: Observational
Other: Observational
This is a 24-month observational study in adults in three disease domains, consisting of screening visit, baseline visit, quarterly telemonitoring visit and end of monitoring period
Computed Tomography mucus score
Quantify CT mucus score and evaluate its cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship with sputum rheology and inflammatory phenotype in a healthy cohort compared to disease groups at baseline and follow-up
Time frame: Baseline/Day 0 and End of Assessment/48 months
Plan to share: Undecided
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Dec 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2027, 24 months after the start.
Of 364 non-industry observational studies under Asthma, half reached primary completion within 38 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 97. This study's planned 24 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 454 studies reached it within 36 months; a quarter within 18 and three quarters within 82.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
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