The DZL was represented with an information desk at the 60th Congress of the German Respiratory Society (DGP), which took place in Munich from March 13–16, 2019. The Congress, themed “Pulmonology–Interdisciplinary and Interactive”, was held in cooperation with the 41st Annual Meeting of the German Society of Pediatric Pulmonology (GPP). Numerous DZL representatives gave lectures on their areas of expertise, including DGP President and DZL Board member Prof. Dr. Klaus F. Rabe. As part of the Congress, the DZL also hosted a Round Table with representatives of patient organizations and, jointly with the Lung Information Service (LIS) and the German Lung Day (Deutscher Lungentag), invited those interested to attend a patient forum.
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h. c. Erika von Mutius, President of the Congress and DZL Board member, welcomed the participants during the opening of the Congress, emphasizing the DZL’s leading role in Munich. She pointed out that both theme and program of the 60th DGP Congress were based on the eight Disease Areas studied at the DZL. Prof. Dr. Tobias Welte, current President of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and DZL Board member, praised the German healthcare system and research landscape, calling on the participants to take the underlying expertise even more toward Europe and, at the same time, learn from Europe.
During the opening of the Congress, DGP President Rabe awarded the research prizes, each worth 10,000 euros in prize money. The research prize for the best clinical work was awarded to Dr. med. Mirjam Stahl (DZL site Heidelberg) for her work „Preventive inhalation of hypertonic saline in infants with cystic fibrosis (PRESIS): A randomized, double-blind, controlled study”. The study was carried out in collaboration with the DZL sites ARCN, BREATH, and UGMLC. Dr. Stahl was awarded two prizes at once during the Congress: The Klosterfrau Research Grant 2019, worth 20,000 euros in prize money, also went to the DZL researcher. The DGP research prize in the area of “Basic Research–Best Scientific Work” was awarded to Wenguang Yin PhD (DZL site Giessen) for his publication “The potassium channel KCNJ13 is essential for smooth muscle cytoskeletal organization during mouse tracheal tubulogenesis”.
For the third time in succession, the DZL invited representatives of patient organizations to join a Round Table, which took place on March 15, 2019 on the margins of the DGP Congress in Munich. Scientists of the various Disease Areas studied and treated at the DZL provided a current overview of different topics and provided the chance to exchange information and discuss matters of common interest during the round-table session.
Following the DGP Congress, on March 16, 2019, the DZL and the LIS hosted a patient forum, the Panel Discussion on Lung Research, for the second time jointly with the German Lung Day. The theme of the event attended by around 100 people was “Lung Disease in Children and Adults”. The forum provided patients and their families with the option of asking specific questions, which were answered by qualified scientists and physicians. The event in this format was considered a complete success by everyone.
