Clinical and lung-sample resource for airway diseases
Clinical Subject and Biospecimen Core
This project collects and analyzes lung and airway samples from people with asthma, COPD, and healthy controls to learn what causes mucus plugs and other airway changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11325847 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
I would be asked to provide airway tissue or lung samples or to participate in clinical sampling if I have asthma, COPD, or are a healthy volunteer. The team prepares and banks high-quality biospecimens and shares them with researchers working on the same problems. They use detailed lab methods like single-cell analysis, imaging mass cytometry, and gene-expression profiling to study proteins, mRNA, and microRNA in areas with and without mucus plugs. The project combines samples from living participants and banked lung tissue, including fatal and non-fatal asthma cases, to link clinical features with molecular changes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with asthma or COPD (including those undergoing bronchoscopy or lung surgery) and some healthy volunteers who can provide airway samples or donate lung tissue.
Not a fit: People who do not have airway disease or who cannot undergo sampling procedures are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal the specific cells and molecules that drive mucus plugging and airway damage, pointing to better-targeted treatments for asthma and COPD.
How similar studies have performed: Related lung tissue–banking and single-cell studies have identified important cell types in lung disease, but applying these methods specifically to mucus plugging across fatal and non-fatal cases is a newer, less-tested application.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bhakta, Nirav Rati — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Bhakta, Nirav Rati
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.