Tomohiro Handa

I was very honoured to receive the APSR Assembly Virtual Meeting Silver Award at the Respiratory Structure and Function Assembly Symposium. During this hard situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wish all of the APSR members are keeping safe. This symposium was one of the steps to overcome this difficult situation, and continue academic exchanges between researchers.

The main theme of this symposium was small airway disease (SAD). Prof Alberto Papi made an excellent lecture about SAD in asthma and COPD. Dr Tanabe presented his research on COPD phenotyping using pulmonary function parameters, and Dr Sim presented her study on the clinical utility of oscillometry in the assessment of CLAD.

I made a presentation about my research conducted in collaboration with Fujifilm Corporation. We developed an artificial intelligence-based quantitative CT technology, and quantified parenchymal and vascular volumes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We found that the vascular volumes in upper regions were independently associated with survival in IPF, while the extent of hyperlucent lung volumes were not.

I really enjoyed all of the presentations. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the APSR for this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing you at the APSR annual congress next year in Kyoto.