Education＆ScienceResearch fund opportunities

APSR Assembly Fund Research Projects

The APSR supports Assembly Fund Research Projects to promote the research activities of APSR assemblies. A project team should comprise some of its APSR assembly members and include at least one assembly leader (Head, Head-Elect, Deputy Head).
The duration of each Project is one year in principle, and can be extended up to two years of fund support, for the research and report of the results.
Enquiries to info@apsr.org

Planned, current and past projects

  1. 2024-2025 Critical Care Medicine Assembly

    Research on the development of protective ventilation strategy – evaluation of uneven distribution of transpulmonary pressure in various pulmonary disease
    Team members:
    Principal Investigator:
    Dr Kiyoyasu Kurahashi, Deputy Assembly Head (Japan)
    Co-Investigators:
    Dr Takuya Yazawa (Japan)
    Project term:

    1 September 2024 – 1 September 2025

    Project summary:

    Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening syndrome with high mortality (N Engl J Med. 342:1301-8, 2000). There is no therapy available at present. The lung protective ventilation strategy reduces ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) and mortality (JAMA. 315:788-800, 2016). Multiple studies revealed limiting transpulmonary pressure (Ptp) may prevent VILI (Am J Respir Crit Care Med.189:520-31, 2014). The Ptp is defined as alveolar pressure minus pleural pressure; however, available indices are limited in the clinical situation, and airway pressure and esophageal pressure (Pes) substitute them. In the real world; however, there is a naturally present uneven distribution of Ptp within the thoracic cavity, and unaware of actual Ptp at each lung part may mislead appropriate ventilatory settings. Here, we propose to reveal the uneven distribution of Ptp and compare them with lung injury of each lung region in an animal model. Given the idea about “the uneven distribution of Ptp,” the present experiment would facilitate the physicians and medical staff to apply reasonable ventilatory settings to critically ill patients.

  2. 2024-2025 Cell and Molecular Biology Assembly

    Understanding the Acute Response of Human Lung to Excessive Oxygen Exposure Using Human PCLS Model
    Team members:
    Principal Investigator:
    Dr Jung-Ki Yoon (Republic of Korea)
    Co-Investigators:
    Dr Chul-Gyu Yoo (Republic of Korea)
    Project term:

    1 June 2024 – 31 May 2025

  3. 2024-2025 Pulmonary Circulation Assembly

    Prognostic Model for Long-Term Cardiac Function after Pulmonary Embolism Based on Dynamic Electrocardio Signal and Biomarkers
    Team members:
    Principal Investigator:
    Dr Dingyi Wang (China)
    Co-Investigators:
    Dr Zhenguo Zhai (China)
    Dr Guohui Fan (China)
    Project term:

    1 June 2024 – 31 May 2025

  4. 2024-2025 Clinical Respiratory Medicine Assembly

    A survey on the practice and interpretation of various diagnostic tests for tuberculous pleuritis among respiratory physicians
    Team members:
    Principal Investigator:
    Dr Ka Pang Chan (Hong Kong)
    Co-Investigators:
    Dr Roland Leung Assembly Head (Hong Kong)
    Dr Chin Chung SHU (Taiwan)
    Dr Ying-Chun Chien (Taiwan)
    Dr Larry Elle Ak Nyanti (Malaysia)
    Dr Nai Chien Huan (Malaysia)
    Dr Cary Amiel G Villanueva (Philippines)
    Project term:

    1 June 2024 – 28 February 2025

    Project summary:

    Tuberculosis is a major infectious disease with a high mortality burden in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. Among various types of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculous pleuritis (TBP) is amongst the most common manifestations. TBP is also a major underlying cause among patients hospitalised with new-onset unilateral pleural effusion. The workup of TBP frequently involves thoracentesis to retrieve pleural fluid and pleural biopsy for microbiological and histological interpretations. However, the diagnostic accuracy of these tests is of unsatisfactory sensitivity, making diagnosing TBP challenging. In addition, certain tests, including pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA), Mycobacterium tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction (MTB PCR), advanced biopsy procedures (e.g. real-time image-guided biopsy, pleuroscopy) are not readily available in developing regions due to scarcity of resources and lack of expertise. All these factors lead to heterogeneous practice in approaching new-onset pleural effusion, interpretation of pleural TB investigations, and timing of TBP treatment initiation among respiratory physicians in different Asia-Pacific regions. The proposed multinational survey aims to understand the real-world clinical practice in approaching patients with new-onset unilateral pleural effusion and diagnosing TBP in Asia-Pacific regions with intermediate to high TB burden. The results will reflect the current practice of diagnosing TBP, clinical and resource discrepancies in investigating TBP, management of TBP and help prioritise the need for further research in TBP.

  5. 2022-2024 Cell and Molecular Biology Assembly

    Developing a novel synthetic lethal treatment with targeting long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) for KRAS-mutated lung cancer
    Team members:
    Principal Investigator:
    Dr Mitsuo Sato (Japan), Assembly Deputy Head
    Co-Investigators:
    Dr Ichidai Tanaka (Japan)
    Dr Kazuhide Sato (Japan)
    Project term:

    1 April 2022 – 31 March 2024

    Research Achievements will be presented at APSR 2024 Hong Kong Congress.