How a lung cell protein (cytoglobin) affects cilia movement and organ placement
Official title: Airway epithelial cytoglobin regulates nitric oxide synthase and development of primary ciliary dyskinesia and situs inversus
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11234292 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether the airway protein cytoglobin controls nitric oxide and cilia motion in ways that could explain primary ciliary dyskinesia and situs inversus.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $683,665 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL168775-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11234292 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with primary ciliary dyskinesia, chronic sinusitis or bronchiectasis, recurrent airway infections, or known situs inversus would be the patient groups most directly relevant to this research.
✕Less likely to help
People whose lung problems are unrelated to ciliary defects or NOS/cytoglobin pathways (for example some forms of COPD or non-ciliary asthma) are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
This project studies a protein called cytoglobin in airway cells and how it interacts with nitric oxide synthase to control cilia movement and left-right organ development. The team uses laboratory models including zebrafish and mice, plus cellular and biochemical tests, to track where cytoglobin sits in relation to cilia and NOS and how it affects ciliary assembly and function. Their prior work shows cytoglobin is important for developmental left-right patterning and normal airway ciliary motility. The goal is to connect these basic findings to the low exhaled nitric oxide seen in people with primary ciliary dyskinesia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could explain a root cause of ciliary dysfunction and point to new diagnostic markers or treatment targets for PCD and related airway problems.
How similar studies have gone: Low exhaled nitric oxide as a marker of PCD is well documented, but linking cytoglobin to NOS and ciliary function is a new and largely untested direction.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gladwin, Mark T — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Gladwin, Mark T
Related research
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Finding new genes that cause primary ciliary dyskinesia
This study is looking for new genes that cause primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a condition that affects breathing, to help make faster and cheaper tests for it, using a special model from frog embryos to learn more about how cilia work.
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Understanding how a protein affects cilia movement and organ development in airway diseases.
This study is looking at how a protein called cytoglobin helps tiny hair-like structures in your airways work properly, which is important for people with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and related breathing problems, with the hope of finding better ways to diagnose and treat these conditions.
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.