Basic Laboratory Research

History and Significance of Respiratory Laboratory Research

Back in the 1800s, respiratory disease was the number one reason for illness and death worldwide. But the reason WHY was unknown until the development of laboratory-based medicine around the mid-1800s. Through laboratory research, it became possible to test ideas and validate theories related to causes of respiratory disease and to begin diagnosing clinical disease and developing specific therapies or cures.

It was in 1877 that Robert Koch, MD, showed that a specific micro-organism could cause disease. Within five years, he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, a bacterial micro-organism which had long caused illness and death around the globe. By 1890 Emil Von Behring, MD, had developed the first therapy that provided a cure for disease (an anti-toxin to diphtheria, a deadly respiratory disease which was widespread among children). Each of these pioneers in laboratory medicine received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their important discoveries which ultimately saved millions of lives worldwide.

The average life expectancy has nearly doubled since the middle of the 19th century, in large part due to the prevention and/or eradication of infectious pulmonary disease. However as people in the present era are living longer, we are being confronted with new medical conditions and challenges. Today, basic science and laboratory medicine remain at the core of new discoveries that can significantly impact modern medical practice, save lives and improve health-related quality of life for those with breathing disorders and diseases of the lungs.