Detailed lung health measurements in healthy people
Deep Functional Phenotyping of the ALA Lung Health Cohort
This project uses breathing tests, CT scans, and biological samples from healthy children and adults to learn how lungs change over time and why some people develop long-term lung disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Vermont & St Agric College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Burlington, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11163235 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll complete questionnaires, provide blood and other samples, do breathing tests (spirometry), and have chest CT imaging to capture detailed structure and function of your lungs. The team will look for patterns like dysanapsis, where airways and lung size grow unevenly, and relate those patterns to factors such as body size, air pollution, allergies, and asthma history. This ancillary work adds deeper functional and structural measurements to the main Lung Health Cohort so researchers can track changes over time. The goal is to find early signs of worsening lung health in otherwise healthy people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are healthy children, adolescents, and adults without known chronic lung disease who are willing to complete questionnaires, give biospecimens, do breathing tests, and attend imaging visits.
Not a fit: People with established, advanced lung disease or those needing immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to gain direct medical benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal early warning signs of lung decline so people can get preventive care before chronic disease develops.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier studies have linked dysanapsis to asthma in children and COPD in adults, but this kind of detailed, longitudinal phenotyping in a healthy cohort is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Burlington, United States
- University of Vermont & St Agric College — Burlington, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Irvin, Charles G — University of Vermont & St Agric College
- Study coordinator: Irvin, Charles G
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.