Airway sphingolipids and virus-triggered asthma in children
Respiratory sphingolipid synthesis involved in airway hyperreactivity and viral-triggered asthma
This project is seeing whether low levels of certain airway fats called sphingolipids — linked to a common childhood gene variant — make rhinovirus colds more likely to trigger asthma attacks in kids.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11283948 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child has asthma, researchers would collect airway samples and genetic information to compare sphingolipid production between children with and without a common 17q21 risk variant. They will look at how infection with human rhinovirus (the common cold) changes sphingolipid levels in those samples. Lab-grown airway cells and animal data will be used to understand the biological steps linking the gene, sphingolipids, and airway overreaction. The goal is to connect what happens in the lab with what is seen in children who get virus-triggered asthma attacks.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children with asthma, particularly those who get worse with colds or who carry the 17q21 asthma risk variant.
Not a fit: People without asthma, adults whose asthma is not triggered by respiratory viruses, or those without the 17q21-related biology may not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new tests or treatments to prevent or reduce virus-triggered asthma attacks in children.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal studies and early human data have found altered sphingolipid levels in asthma, but applying these findings to prevent virus-triggered attacks is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Worgall, Stefan — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Worgall, Stefan
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 below.