COVID-19 and harmful neutrophil traps in the lungs
Mechanisms and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2-induced neutrophil extracellular traps
The team is working to block damaging neutrophil extracellular traps to help people with severe COVID-19 lung injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| 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-11172256 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will study how neutrophils release web-like DNA structures called NETs in response to SARS-CoV-2 using patient blood and lung samples alongside laboratory and animal models. They will measure NET levels in COVID-19 patients and examine how NETs cause lung tissue damage and promote blood clots. The team will test approaches to neutralize NETs to reduce injury while preserving the body’s ability to control the virus. These steps are intended to move promising lab findings toward treatments that could help hospitalized patients with severe lung disease.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19-related lung injury or ARDS who could provide samples or enroll in related clinical trials.
Not a fit: People with mild COVID-19 who are not hospitalized or those with unrelated lung conditions are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to therapies that reduce lung damage, clotting complications, and deaths from severe COVID-19.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal and patient-sample studies link NETs to worse ARDS and show NET neutralization can reduce lung injury, but human treatment trials remain limited.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Looney, Mark Roberts — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Looney, Mark Roberts
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.