Circadian rhythms in pediatric asthma: how night-time immune responses shape disease
Official title: Circadian Regulation of Epithelial Immune Reponses in Asthma
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11399914 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A doctor-led study at Seattle Children’s Hospital will study how the body's internal clock affects airway immune responses in children with asthma, especially during nighttime viral infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $154,980 |
| NIH project number | 5K08HL179396-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399914 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pediatric patients with asthma and healthy children whose donated airway cells are used in the lab studies.
✕Less likely to help
This study uses lab-grown cells and does not involve direct patient treatment or intervention.
What this research studies
This project uses human airway cells from healthy children and pediatric asthma patients to see how time of day influences viral infections and innate immune defenses in the airways. Researchers will examine circadian patterns in gene activity and how these rhythms affect viral replication in airway epithelial cells kept in a lab model. The work builds on prior mouse studies and uses patient-derived cells to understand nighttime asthma symptoms and potential targets for therapy. Results could help tailor treatments to the body’s clock to reduce nighttime asthma crises.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to timing-based strategies or therapies that lessen nighttime asthma symptoms and ER visits.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies showed circadian control of airway immunity; this study extends findings to human pediatric cells.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Powell, Weston Thomas — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Powell, Weston Thomas
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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.