Lungdon is a mythical Kingdom where you can witness the interaction of the respiratory defenses within normal lungs and within the lungs of patients with severe asthma. The animated stories of Lungdon are snapshots of times when “invaders” (such as allergens or infections) penetrate the respiratory defenses, which starts a cascade of inflammation. Chaotic, entertaining and informative, Lungdon makes severe asthma inflammation easier for healthcare professionals to learn, remember, and manage.

Why did we create Lungdon?

There is no question regarding the complexity of the inflammatory pathways in patients with severe asthma. After thoroughly reviewing these pathways and despite believing I had etched them in my long-term memory, I found it difficult to keep everything straight in my head. Despite teaching this topic in a variety of ways (from animated PowerPoint presentations to 3D videos), I found that learners would watch these high-tech presentations and say “how cool”, but then would not be able to answer basic questions about specific components of the inflammatory cascade in asthma.

I was attending a meeting on continuing education and saw a YouTube video (produced in 2014 by the Political Science Department of Texas Tech) in which university students were asked some basic questions: 1) Who won the Civil War? 2) Who is the Vice-President of the US? 3) What show is Snooki on? and 4) Who is married to Brad Pitt? Of the 11 students polled, only one was able to correctly report that the Union/North won the civil war, one knew the Vice-President was Joe Biden, but every person asked, knew that Snooki was on Jersey Shore and that Brad Pitt was married to Angelina Jolie.

This was an “ah ha” moment…!! If we could make the inflammatory pathways in asthma into entertaining and fun animated stories of adventure, perhaps healthcare professionals could actually understand, remember, and recall these inflammatory pathways and information in a useful and practical manner. Lungdon has evolved into a whimsical approach to delve into a subject as complex as inflammation in severe asthma as well as a way to retain and actually use what you’ve learned.

Sandra G. Adams, MD, MS

President / Founder: WipeDiseases Foundation

To view the animation click on the next button in the lower right.