The mission of the Lung Research Center at the BRI is to highlight the current research activities of lung researchers at BWH and to encourage future advances in our understanding of lung biology and disease by: promoting excellence in basic, translational and clinical science in lung disease, encouraging formal and informal collaborative opportunities among BWH researchers to create an environment conducive to the growth of the research agenda, including new extramural grant support, communicating these advances and insights to the larger outside community of scientists, physicians, policy makers and the general public and finally enhancing philanthropic support for lung research.