Dry powder lung surfactant aerosol for people with low oxygen or ARDS on breathing support
Official title: Preclinical development of a synthetic lung surfactant dry powder aerosol for hypoxemia or acute respiratory distress syndrome patients receiving different modes of ventilation support
Funded at Virginia Commonwealth University · NIH-11145634 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is creating a dry powder lung surfactant you could inhale to help adults with low oxygen or ARDS who are on oxygen, noninvasive breathing support, or ventilators.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Commonwealth University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richmond, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $736,563 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL164508-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11145634 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be adults with hypoxemia or ARDS from direct lung injury who are receiving high flow nasal oxygen, noninvasive ventilation, or mechanical ventilation and who might later qualify for clinical testing.
✕Less likely to help
People with ARDS from non-pulmonary causes, children (this project focuses on adults), those not on any respiratory support, or those with allergies to formulation components may not benefit from this specific approach.
What this research studies
If you have ARDS or low oxygen from direct lung injury, this work aims to develop a dry powder lung surfactant that could be inhaled rather than given as a large liquid through a tube. Researchers will design and test powder formulations and delivery devices to work during high flow nasal cannula, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, and invasive mechanical ventilation. Most testing now will be done in the lab and in animal models to measure how much medicine reaches the deep lung and to check safety. The team will optimize dosing and device methods to prepare for possible future human trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier, less invasive surfactant treatment that reaches the lungs quickly and may improve oxygen levels and outcomes for people with ARDS.
How similar studies have gone: Large human trials using liquid surfactant instillation have not succeeded, but dry powder aerosol approaches have shown promising results in animal studies though they remain unproven in people.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Longest, P. Worth — Virginia Commonwealth University
- Study coordinator: Longest, P. Worth
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Developing a new dry powder aerosol to help patients with severe breathing problems
This study is testing a new dry powder treatment that can be turned into a mist to help people with breathing problems like hypoxemia or ARDS, and it aims to see if this treatment can reduce lung inflammation and work even better when combined with another medicine.
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Developing a new dry powder aerosol treatment for lung issues in patients with respiratory distress
This study is working on a new way to help people with serious breathing problems, like low oxygen levels or acute respiratory distress syndrome, by creating a dry powder that can be easily inhaled instead of using liquid treatments that can be harder to give.
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Identifying ARDS patients who may benefit from paralytics guided by high-frequency clinical data
This grant aims to help doctors figure out which adults with ARDS are most likely to benefit from paralytic medications using detailed bedside data and electronic health records.
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Resilience endotypes and early ARDS detection using biomarkers and AI
A Duke University team is using biomarkers and smart data analysis to detect ARDS early and uncover patterns that predict how patients recover.
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PAR1’s role in lung lymphatics and a new therapy approach for ARDS
This grant explores how the thrombin receptor PAR1 affects lung lymphatics to understand and ultimately reduce lung injury in ARDS patients.
-
Dead space and inhaled nitric oxide in pediatric ARDS
This project looks at whether measuring dead space and using inhaled nitric oxide can help improve outcomes for children with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
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.