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Your Breath at Rest
We can learn a lot clinically and scientifically when we measure your breath at rest. How do we do this? Through a test called oscillometry.
Oscillometry is a simple and quick breathing test that you are asked to complete as a participant in SPIROMICS and SOURCE. It helps us learn more about how your lungs are working.
It is different from other tests, like spirometry, because you do not have to blow hard or take deep breaths. You just breathe normally through a mouthpiece for about 30 seconds.
During the test, gentle pressure waves are sent into your lungs while you breathe. These waves help measure how easy or hard it is for air to move through your airways.
The test looks at two main things. Resistance, or how much your airways block airflow. Reactance, or how stretchy or stiff your lungs and chest are.
Oscillometry is useful because:
- It is easy to do. No special effort is needed.
- It works well for kids, older adults, and people who cannot comfortably or safely complete other tests.
- It can find early signs of lung problems, even before you feel symptoms.
- It helps track how well treatments are working for conditions like COPD and asthma.
Doctors and researchers use oscillometry to:
- Check for lung diseases like COPD or asthma.
- See how well medications work.
- Monitor lung health over time.
- Test people who cannot comfortably or safely complete other lung tests.
Your study coordinator can explain more about this test. If you have questions, please let us know. Thank you for all the ways you participate in SPIROMICS and SOURCE!
Stay in Touch with SPIROMICS and SOURCE
Your participation in SPIROMICS and SOURCE may help lead to discoveries in lung health. We are so grateful for your participation.
The third phase of SPIROMICS continues. You may have been contacted by phone. Be on the lookout for these calls. They help us stay in touch.
Phone calls and text messages will also be coming to SOURCE participants.
Thank you for your participation in SPIROMICS or SOURCE! Stay connected and informed by checking out the study website.
Recent Research Highlights
Take a quick look at new publications from SPIROMICS:
- Finding which protein molecules in the body may link to two subtypes of COPD. This could help find better ways to diagnose and treat disease. It could also help us understand more about how COPD progresses.
- How the use of a type of CT scan may help understand lung inflammation. This type of CT scan may give us a different way to understand a patient’s COPD disease burden.
- Exploring genetic links between COPD and GERD, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. The findings may give insight into disease prevention.
November is COPD Awareness Month.
Globally, November 19 is World COPD Day 2025.
A First for SPIROMICS
An exciting new collaboration is set to take place this Fall.
For the first time, the COPDGene study and the SPIROMICS study will share data in a collaborative workshop format.
The goal is to find ways to use data from both studies to better predict and understand COPD disease progression.
Researchers from the two studies will present their findings on Thursday, November 20, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia.
COPDGene was started in 2007 with more than 10,000 participants. You can learn more about COPDGene at the study website.
We are grateful to SPIROMICS and COPDGene researchers and the Workshop Organizing Committee for bringing the two studies together.
Acknowledgements
SPIROMICS is supported by NIH/NHLBI contracts (HHSN268200900013C, HHSN268200900014C, HHSN268200900015C, HHSN268200900016C, HHSN268200900017C, HHSN268200900018C, HHSN268200900019C, HHSN268200900020C, 75N92024D00012) and grants (U01 HL137880, U24 HL141762, R01 HL182622, R01 HL144718, and R01HL093081). SOURCE is supported by NIH/NHLBI grant (R01 HL144718). SPIROMICS and SOURCE are supplemented by contributions made through the Foundation for the NIH and the COPD Foundation from Amgen; AstraZeneca/MedImmune; Bayer; Bellerophon Therapeutics; Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Bristol Myers Squibb, Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A.; Forest Research Institute, Inc.; Genentech; GlaxoSmithKline; Grifols Therapeutics, Inc.; Ikaria, Inc.; MGC Diagnostics; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Nycomed GmbH; Polarean; ProterixBio; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Sanofi; Sunovion; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company; Theravance Biopharma; Verona; and Mylan/Viatris. The newsletter was developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center, IRB #: 10-0048 and 20243711 (SPIROMICS II and III) and 20-2236 (SOURCE). Page 1 Image Graphicroyalty / Adobe Stock. Lung radiograph image from the CDC PHIL, #16381.