Jay H. Ryu, M.D.

Location

SUMMARY

The research interests of Jay H. Ryu, M.D., include interstitial lung diseases characterized by progressive scarring of lung tissues affecting the ability to breathe. Dr. Ryu also studies rare and emerging lung disorders, particularly those without effective current approaches for diagnosis and management. These include:

• Interstitial pneumonias without a known cause.
• Cystic lung diseases.
• Interstitial lung diseases related to exposures including smoking, medications and other exogenous agents. These outside agents include hypersensitivity pneumonitis, caused by repeatedly inhaling a particular allergen, often in a workplace setting; aspiration-related lung diseases where a foreign substance is inhaled; and bronchiolar disorders involving injuries to smaller airways.
• Heritable lung diseases passed from one generation to the next.
• Lung involvement in systemic diseases such as autoimmune or autoinflammatory disorders, histiocytosis, lymphoproliferative diseases and amyloidosis.

The thrust of Dr. Ryu's research efforts is to better define these diseases to help with earlier diagnoses and find better management strategies. To accomplish this, Dr. Ryu and his research team study the natural history and development or pathogenesis of these diseases. They also consider the clinical laboratory and radiological characteristics, referred to as clinicoradiologic features. Dr. Ryu collaborates with Mayo Clinic colleagues in other specialties as well as with researchers in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Focus areas

• Improving the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial pneumonias. Dr. Ryu and his collaborators work to better define diagnostic criteria for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other forms of interstitial pneumonias. These conditions often cause progressive lung impairment leading to respiratory failure. His team is working to define physical traits that can be used to measure the progress of this disease, pinpoint complications and improve management strategies.
• Identifying lung diseases related to exogenous agents. Dr. Ryu and his colleagues investigate clinicoradiologic features of lung diseases related to various exposures. These features include medications and inhalational exposures — smoking-related interstitial lung diseases, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, aspiration-related lung diseases, bronchiolitis. They hope to help with timely diagnosis and the development of effective management strategies for these conditions.
• Defining respiratory irregularities in systemic and heritable disorders. Dr. Ryu's group studies how the respiratory system is involved in systemic diseases. These include:
  • Autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders.
  • Immunodeficiencies.
  • Amyloidosis.
  • Histiocytic disorders.
  • Heritable diseases such as Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex. These uncommon genetic disorders can cause raised lesions or small tumors to develop in the skin.
• Diagnosing cystic lung diseases. Dr. Ryu and his collaborators investigate the broadening spectrum of cystic lung diseases. These include lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), BHD and several other entities. Dr. Ryu's group is linking the distinctive clinical and radiologic features of these disorders with worse symptoms and poorer response to treatment in patients.
• Identifying respiratory manifestations in emerging disorders. Dr. Ryu and his colleagues have studied and described the involvement of the respiratory system in emerging disorders. These include:
  • IgG4-related disease.
  • Diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH).
  • Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic (VEXAS) syndrome.

  Dr. Ryu's ongoing work seeks to better define the pathogenesis, clinicoradiologic features, natural history and optimal management strategies for recently identified diseases.

Significance to patient care

Many forms of lung diseases are uncommon or rare and often go undiagnosed. Collectively, these disorders affect a significant portion of the population. People with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed diseases may face avoidable adversity and harm. Finding characteristic, sometimes distinctive, features of such disorders can lead to more prompt recognition and diagnosis, as well as the ability to start treatment before irreversible organ damage occurs.

There is a continuing need to better understand the underlying nature of these disease processes. Some of these disorders currently lack effective therapies and lead to respiratory failure. Dr. Ryu's team is working to find solutions to improve treatment options.

Professional highlights

• Member, editorial board, Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 2018-present.
• Member, Scientific Advisory Board, The LAM Foundation, 1996-present.
• Mayo Clinic:
  • Distinguished Clinician Award, 2020.
  • Distinguished Educator Award, 2020.
  • Henry S. Plummer Distinguished Physician Award, Department of Medicine, 2002.
• Member, editorial board, CHEST, American College of Chest Physicians, 2006 and 2019.
• Dr. David E. and Bette H. Dines Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 2016.
• Member, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Pulmonary Data and Safety Monitoring Board, 2000-2014.
• Site principal investigator, NHLBI-sponsored Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research Network (IPFnet), 2005-2013.
• Member, editorial board, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2006-2011.
• Ad hoc member, Data and Safety Monitoring Board, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, 2004-2007.
• Steering Committee, NHLBI Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) Registry:
  • Chair, 2002-2006.
  • Co-chair, 1997-2002.