Glypicans protecting the lungs from bacterial infection
Glypicans in Bacterial Lung Infection
This project looks at whether glypicans—proteins on lung cells—help the lungs clear bacteria and prevent invasion, which could help people with bacterial pneumonia or ARDS.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11317205 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are studying proteins called glypicans that sit on lung cells to see how they affect bacterial attachment, invasion, and clearance. They will use lab-grown cells and infection models, and likely animal experiments, to watch how glypicans interact with bacteria and the extracellular matrix. The team will measure whether glypicans help immune cells remove bacteria or block bacterial entry into lung tissue. The findings may point to new ways to boost natural lung defenses or to targets for drugs that reduce lung infection and damage in conditions like pneumonia and ARDS.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with bacterial pneumonia or ARDS, or patients willing to provide respiratory or blood samples for research.
Not a fit: People without bacterial lung infection (for example, those with only viral infections) or those unable to provide samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this work in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new ways to strengthen lung defenses or lead to therapies that reduce severity of bacterial pneumonia and ARDS.
How similar studies have performed: Some prior laboratory studies suggest extracellular matrix components influence infection, but using glypicans specifically as protective agents is a relatively new and unproven approach.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Park, Pyong Woo — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Park, Pyong Woo
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.