An observational study in Airway Inflammation, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma (Diagnosis), sponsored by First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-25.
Sponsored by First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University · Observational
The goal of this study is to learn how the body's immune system affects disease control in people with different airway inflammatory diseases.We want to understand:
1.Whether specific immune cell patterns in the blood are linked to how severe the disease is or how well it is controlled.
Participants will:
This prospective, single-center observational cohort study aims to comprehensively characterize the immune landscape of patients with chronic airway inflammatory diseases through the application of high-dimensional single-cell technologies.The study plans to enroll approximately 205 to 215 participants, comprising multiple disease groups and matched healthy controls.
A core methodological innovation of this study is the use of CyTOF (Cytometry by Time-Of-Flight), a mass cytometry platform capable of simultaneously analyzing up to 40-100 immune markers at the single-cell level. This approach allows for a highly detailed phenotypic and functional profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), enabling the discovery of disease-associated immune cell subsets with greater resolution than conventional flow cytometry.
Participants will be stratified by disease type and severity based on clinical diagnostic criteria, functional testing (e.g., FEV1, AHI, FeNO), and established clinical scores (e.g., ACQ, CAT, GOLD, SGRQ, E-FACED). Blood samples will be processed for PBMC isolation and subjected to CyTOF analysis. Complementary assessments include cytokine profiling via ELISA, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) for transcriptomic insights, and sputum analysis via culture and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to evaluate microbial colonization and inflammatory cell profiles.
This study will investigate the correlation between immune phenotypes and clinical control levels, disease severity, hypoxia metrics, and inflammatory mediators (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α). It also seeks to identify key immunopathological features that may differentiate subtypes within each disease (e.g., T2-high vs. T2-low asthma; Pseudomonas-positive vs. negative bronchiectasis) and evaluate transitional states such as PRISm in relation to COPD progression. Multivariate models combining immune and clinical parameters will be developed to facilitate predictive stratification and to guide future individualized immunotherapeutic strategies.
By integrating CyTOF, scRNA-seq, and clinical data, this protocol aspires to define immune biomarkers predictive of airway disease control and severity and to provide a systems-level understanding of immune dysfunction across heterogeneous respiratory disorders.
5,520 studies on the registry are indexed under Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; 856 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 200 is above the median of 158 across 1,497 observational studies indexed under Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive.
Browse Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive studies →First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University is the lead sponsor of 27 studies on the registry; 25 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
This study included patients diagnosed with airway inflammatory diseases who were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University.
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.
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.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
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.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
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.
The clinical diagnosis was COPD
The clinical diagnosis was Bronchiectasis
The clinical diagnosis was OSAS
The clinical diagnosis was asthma
The clinical diagnosis was ABPA
Healthy person without respiratory disease
Peripheral Blood Immune Cell Subset Profiling by Mass Cytometry (CyTOF)
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) will be analyzed by CyTOF using a 41-marker antibody panel (includingCD4, CD8, HLA-DR, CD25, CD127, CD45RA, CD38, CD66b, IgD,etc.) The outcome will be reported as the relative frequency (%) and absolute counts of defined immune subsets, including T cell subsets (Th1, Th2, Th17, Treg, Tfh, cytotoxic T cells), B cell subsets (naive, memory, B1a, transitional), NK cells, myeloid cells, plasmablasts, monocytes, MDSCs, and granulocytes. Functional phenotypes such as activation (HLA-DR), exhaustion (PD-1), and aging (CD57) will also be quantified.
Time frame: baseline
Serum Cytokine Levels by ELISA
Plasma cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10) will be quantified using ELISA. Data will be reported as absolute concentrations (pg/mL) and compared across disease subgroups.
Time frame: baseline
Sputum Microbiome Composition by Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS)
Sputum samples will be analyzed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to characterize bacterial, fungal, and viral communities. Data will be aggregated as relative abundance (%) of microbial taxa and diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson).
Time frame: baseline
Sleep-Disordered Breathing Severity Measured by Polysomnography
For patients with OSAS and snoring, Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), minimum SpO₂, and cumulative time with SpO₂ \< 90% (CT90) will be recorded overnight. Data will be summarized as mean values and categorized into mild, moderate, or severe OSAS.
Time frame: baseline
Serum Lipid testing
Including serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides.
Time frame: baseline
Daytime Sleepiness in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Measured by Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)
Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS): Evaluates daytime sleepiness severity; higher scores reflect greater impairment.Data will be summarized as mean total scores and categorized into severity levels (normal, mild, moderate, severe).
Time frame: baseline
Asthma Control Questionnaire
In the asthma and ABPA research groups, the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) will be used to evaluate the control of asthma symptoms. ACQ is a validated questionnaire, with each question scoring 0-6 points. The average score will be calculated, with ≤ 0.75 indicating good control, 0.75-1.5 indicating partial control, and\>1.5 indicating uncontrolled.
Time frame: baseline
AQLQ （Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire） Score
The Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire is used to evaluate the quality of life of asthma patients. The scoring range is 1 - 7 points. The higher the score, the better the quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline
Borg rating
The Borg score is used to evaluate the degree of respiratory distress in patients with bronchiectasis, measuring their perceived physical activity or intensity using numbers. Subjective fatigue and respiratory distress are quantified on a 0-10 point scale, with higher scores indicating more severe respiratory distress.
Time frame: baseline
FACED Score
FACED Score includes Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1)、Age、 Chronic colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA)、Extension (number of pulmonary lobes affected)、Dyspnea (mMRC score).It is used to assess the severity of bronchiectasis. The scoring range is from 0 to 10 points. Grade classification: 0 - 2 points: Mild. 3 - 5 points: Moderate. 6 - 10 points: Severe.
Time frame: baseline
CAT（COPD Assessment Test） Score
A tool used in the bronchiectasis group to assist in assessing the severity and quality of life of patients with bronchiectasis. The rating range is 0-10 points. Grade classification: 0-2 points: Mild; 3-5 points: moderate; 6-10 points: severe.
Time frame: baseline
SGRQ（St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire）Score
The SGRQ is used to evaluate the quality of life of patients with chronic respiratory diseases. It consists of three parts: symptoms, activities, and impact on daily life. The scoring range is 0 - 100 points. The higher the total score, the poorer the patient's quality of life.
Time frame: baseline
mMRC（Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale）Score
The mMRC Score is used to assess the severity of dyspnoea and is divided into grades 0 - 4. The higher the score, the more severe the dyspnoea. Grade 0: Dyspnoea occurs only during strenuous exercise. Grade 1: Dyspnoea occurs when walking fast on flat ground or climbing a gentle slope. Grade 2: Dyspnoea causes the patient to stop and rest when walking on flat ground. Grade 3: Dyspnoea causes the patient to stop and rest after walking less than 100 metres or for a few minutes on flat ground. Grade 4: The patient is unable to leave home due to dyspnoea, or dyspnoea occurs when dressing or undressing.
Time frame: baseline
FEV1（Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second）
Pulmonary function FEV1 index was evaluated in liters (L). It refers to the volume of air exhaled in the first second by the subject exhaling at the fastest rate after the maximum inspiration.
Time frame: baseline
MMEF75/25（Maximal Mid-Expiratory Flow between 75% and 25% of FVC）
MMEF75/25 is measured in liters per minute (L/min). This is the average expiratory flow rate over the course of 75% to 25% of the forced expiratory volume. It is primarily used to assess the function of the small airways.
Time frame: baseline
FVC（Forced Vital Capacity）
FVC is measured in liters (L). It is the maximum volume of air that can be exhaled by exhaling forcefully as fast as possible after the maximum inhalation. This indicator reflects the ventilatory function of the lungs. FVC is generally around 3.5 - 5 L in normal adult males and slightly lower in females. FVC can be used to assess the elasticity of the lungs, the patency of the airways, etc.
Time frame: baseline
FEV1/FVC（Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second to Forced Vital Capacity Ratio）
The unit of FEV1/FVC is %. It is mainly used to determine if there is an airflow obstruction. Normally, FEV1/FVC should be greater than 70%.
Time frame: baseline
Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) Levels Measured by Standardized Analyzer
FeNO will be measured in exhaled air and reported in parts per billion (ppb). Data will be summarized as mean values to reflect airway inflammation.
Time frame: baseline
Plan to share: No
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Started Aug 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2026, 12 months after the start.
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First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University