Air pollution, infections, and links to ALS
Official title: RFA-TS-24-010: Ambient Air Pollution as a Potential Risk Factor for ALS - Using a Multiomics Approach in a High-Quality Epidemiologic Study
Funded at Karolinska Institute · NIH-11163186 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will look for links between air pollution, past infections, and biological changes in people with ALS and similar controls to understand whether pollution may trigger or worsen ALS.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Karolinska Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Solna, Sweden) |
| Project start | September 30, 2024 |
| Project end | September 29, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $299,877 |
| NIH project number | 5R01TS000348-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163186 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people diagnosed with ALS in Sweden who can allow access to their registry records and biospecimens, along with unaffected full siblings and matched controls.
✕Less likely to help
People living outside Sweden, those unable to provide health-record access or samples, and patients seeking immediate clinical interventions rather than research participation may not receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
This project uses Sweden’s national ALS registry and linked health records to compare people with ALS to two control groups: disease-free full siblings and age- and sex-matched controls. The team will combine historical air pollution exposure data and infection histories with blood and other biospecimens to run multiomics tests focused on proteins tied to oxidative stress, inflammation, immune responses, and the gut microbiome. By comparing these biological markers across groups, they aim to find patterns that could explain how pollution or infections influence ALS risk and prognosis. The study is observational and designed to point to preventable risks and possible targets for future treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify preventable environmental risks or biological pathways that lead to better prevention strategies or new treatment targets for ALS.
How similar studies have gone: A few earlier studies have hinted at links between air pollution and ALS but were limited in design, so this multiomics approach is relatively novel and aims to fill important gaps.
Where this research is happening
-
Karolinska Institute
Solna, Sweden Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fang, Fang — Karolinska Institute
- Study coordinator: Fang, Fang
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.