Bitter-taste receptors helping immune cells fight airway infections
Immune function of bitter taste receptors in human macrophages
Testing whether activating bitter taste receptors on immune cells can help people with airway infections clear bacteria more effectively.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11248344 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will work with human immune cells (macrophages) taken from people to see which bitter-taste (T2R) receptors are present and how turning them on changes cell behavior. They will measure rapid signals like calcium and nitric oxide production and watch whether the cells eat and kill bacteria more effectively. Because mouse taste receptors differ from humans, the team uses primary human cells and samples to keep findings relevant to human airway infections. The focus is on responses to bacteria such as Pseudomonas and how receptor activation might boost innate antibacterial defenses.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with chronic or recurrent airway infections (for example chronic rhinosinusitis or recurrent bacterial lung infections) who can provide blood or airway samples for laboratory study.
Not a fit: People needing immediate emergency care or whose symptoms are due to non-infectious structural or allergic airway problems are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this laboratory-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new ways to boost local immune defenses in the nose and lungs to help clear bacterial infections without relying solely on antibiotics.
How similar studies have performed: Preliminary laboratory data and prior cell studies show that activating T2R receptors increases calcium and nitric oxide and can rapidly boost phagocytosis in human immune cells, but translating this into clinical treatments remains untested.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Robert J. — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Lee, Robert J.
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.