High Altitude Task Force

More than 80 million people worldwide live in high altitude areas (>2500 metres above sea level). Studies indicate that factors linked to high altitude including low oxygen levels, vasculopathy and metabolic abnormalities alongside genetic predispositions, collectively contribute to the onset and advancement of PH. 

The Task Force brings together researchers worldwide with an interest in the effects of hypoxia and high altitude on the pulmonary vasculature and related physiology. It raises awareness and understanding of pulmonary hypertension (PH) linked to high altitude and organises scientific conferences in high-altitude affected regions.

Webinars

The Task Force is organising a series of webinars on Hypoxia in pulmonary vascular research – altitude and beyond. 

Upcoming webinars

• 15 September 2026: Spatial and Molecular Profiling of Tissue-Derived Soluble and Matrix-Bound Extracellular Vesicles in Pulmonary Hypertension
• 17 November 2026: Bleeding ponies, bloated cattle and breathless mountaineers: hearts and lungs under duress with hypoxia and exercise
   

Past webinar recordings

• Early changes in the pulmonary vasculature in response to high altitude: mechanisms and potential treatments by Cheng-Jun Hu on 5 May 2026
• Do Travelers to High Altitude Need to Worry about their Blood Pressure? by Linda Keyes on 10 March 2026
• Iron and High Altitude by Martina Muckenthaler on 4 November 2025
• Role of inflammatory immune cells in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by Rahul Kumar on 1 July 2025
• La Rinconada Expedition 5300 – an overview of scientific results by Samuel Verges on 27 May 2025
• Acute altitude illnesses in COPD patients and healthy individuals at high altitude by Michael Furian on 15 April 2025
• Human metabolic responses to high altitude hypoxia by Andrew Murray on 5 November 2024
• Pulmonary hemodynamic acclimatization to high altitude – pathophysiological insights by Robert Naeije on 1 October 2024

Events

Upcoming events

• 8th International Leh Symposium 2026
  The Task Force are currently planning for the 8th International Leh Symposium 2026 - Therapeutic targets & molecular mechanisms for pulmonary diseases in hypoxia.
  • Location: McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India
  • Dates: 23 - 27 October 2026 

Past recordings

• Satellite Meeting at PVRI Dublin 2026
  The High Altitude Task Force held a satellite meeting at the most recent PVRI Congress in Dublin. The session explored the pathophysiology, clinical impact, and management of pulmonary hypertension at high altitude.
  Watch the recordings here 

Publications

• Hoyos, R., Lichtblau, M., Cajamarca, E., Mayer, L., Schwarz, E. I., et al. (2024) ‘Characteristics and risk profiles of patients with pulmonary arterial or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension living permanently at >2500 m of high altitude in Ecuador’. Pulmonary Circulation, 14(3), e12404.
• Chanana, N., Palmo, T., Sharma, K., Kumar, R., Graham, B., et al. (2020) ‘Sex-derived attributes contributing to SARS-CoV-2 mortality’. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 319(3), E562–E569.
• Chanana, N., Palmo, T., Newman, J. H., Pasha, M. A. Q. (2020) ‘Vascular homoeostasis at high altitude: role of genetic variants and transcription factors’. Pulmonary Circulation, 10(4).