COVID and vaccine effects on airway immunity in children with asthma
Official title: Determinants of Convalescent and Vaccine-induced Mucosal Specific Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and Variants of Concern in Children with Asthma
Funded at University of Virginia · NIH-11331239 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how prior COVID infections or mRNA vaccines change immune protection in the lungs of children with asthma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $648,660 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI176171-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11331239 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children (infants through about 11 years) with asthma—especially those with Th2-type disease or on higher-dose corticosteroids—and healthy children as comparison volunteers.
✕Less likely to help
Adults and children without asthma or those unwilling to provide airway samples are unlikely to receive direct benefits from this specific research.
What this research studies
If your child joins, researchers will collect blood and lower airway samples to measure antibodies, neutralizing activity, and T and B cell responses in the airways. They will compare children who have asthma (including those on inhaled or oral steroids) with healthy children to see differences in mucosal immunity. The team will study responses after prior infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants and after mRNA vaccination. Statistical models will be used to find factors linked to stronger or weaker airway immune responses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could help improve vaccine strategies or treatments to better protect children with asthma from COVID-19 variants.
How similar studies have gone: While many studies show lasting blood-based immunity after infection or vaccination, studies of lower airway mucosal immunity in children with asthma are limited and this work is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Teague, William Gerald — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Teague, William Gerald
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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.