Genetics and patterns of chronic lung disease in U.S. Veterans
Official title: Chronic lung disease phenotyping and genomics in the Veterans Health Administration
Funded at Minneapolis VA Medical Center · NIH-11264860 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will combine VA health records, lung imaging, and genetic data to find genetic patterns linked to asthma, COPD, and interstitial lung disease in U.S. Veterans.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Minneapolis VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX005957-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11264860 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are U.S. Veterans enrolled in the VA health system, age 21 or older, particularly those with a history of asthma, COPD, or interstitial lung disease and available VA health records or genetic data.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not Veterans, under 21, or who do not have VA health records or linked genetic data are unlikely to be included or see direct benefit from this grant.
What this research studies
You would be contributing to work that links VA electronic health records, CT imaging, spirometry results, and other clinical data to create more accurate definitions of chronic lung diseases. Those definitions will be validated so researchers can reliably identify who has asthma, COPD, or ILD and who does not. The team will then use genetic data from the Million Veteran Program to search for DNA variants, build polygenic risk scores, and study how genes interact with smoking and other exposures. The project is led from the Minneapolis VA but uses data from across the VA system to capture many Veterans' experiences.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help predict which Veterans are at higher risk for chronic lung disease and point to more personalized prevention or treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Prior genetic studies have found risk genes for COPD and asthma, but applying rigorously validated VA-based clinical definitions and imaging-linked data across the Million Veteran Program is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wan, Emily S — Minneapolis VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Wan, Emily S
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.