Airway lining immune responses during viral asthma flare-ups

Epithelial Immune Responses During Respiratory Viral Exacerbation of Asthma

NIH-funded research University of Washington · NIH-11327267

Researchers are comparing how airway lining cells and immune signals react to respiratory viruses in children and adults with different types of asthma to find why some people don't respond to current treatments.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Washington NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Seattle, United States)
Project IDNIH-11327267 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, researchers will collect airway samples and blood from children and adults with different asthma types, especially those whose asthma doesn't respond well to inhaled steroids or biologic drugs. They will study the airway lining cells and nearby immune cells in the lab and use bioinformatics to analyze patterns of cytokines, cell types, and responses to respiratory viruses. The goal is to see how epithelial cells coordinate immune reactions during viral infections that trigger asthma flares and to find biological signals that explain persistent T2 or non‑T2 inflammation. Findings could point to new treatment targets or help match patients to therapies less likely to fail during virus-driven exacerbations.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are children and adults with asthma—particularly those who have frequent virus-triggered exacerbations or whose disease shows persistent T2 or non‑T2 inflammation despite standard treatments.

Not a fit: People without asthma or those whose asthma is already well controlled with current inhalers and biologic therapy are unlikely to gain direct benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could identify new targets or tests to prevent or reduce virus-driven asthma attacks, especially for people not helped by current inhaled steroids or biologics.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research shows airway epithelial cells and epithelial cytokines play important roles and some biologics help T2 inflammation, but applying detailed epithelial‑immune profiling to virus-triggered asthma is a newer approach.

Where this research is happening

Seattle, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.