Who we are
In 1985, Professor Sir Malcolm Green and his colleagues founded the BLF because research into lungs was underfunded and underappreciated, and lung diseases were poorly understood.
We’ve invested over £30 million in vital research. Lung disease is the 3rd biggest killer and affects more than 12 million people in the UK. Research is crucial to bring hope and help to everyone affected.
Our research areas
We aim to fund research predominantly in these areas:
- Children’s lung disease - 11% of deaths in children under 15 are due to lung disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD - the UK’s 5th biggest killer but millions remain undiagnosed
- Lung cancer - the biggest cause of death from both lung disease and cancer in the UK
- Pulmonary fibrosis, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF - over 5,000 people die from IPF each year, about the same as leukaemia, but IPF research gets less than 2% of leukaemia’s research investment each year
- Mesothelioma - the UK has the worst published mortality rates for this disease in the world
I’m lucky - I had a lung transplant last year. I’m amazed how little is known about IPF, even about the basics of the disease and how to treat it. We desperately need more research because I’m an exception - most people die within 3 years of diagnosis.Steve, who lives with IPF
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We rely on donations to fund this work. Thanks to people like you, we can make a difference with research.