How airway lining cells and immune cells drive severe steroid-resistant asthma
Official title: Immune Airway-Epithelial Interactions in Steroid-Refractory Severe Asthma
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11330457 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how immune cells and the cells that line the airways interact in people whose severe asthma does not respond to corticosteroids, to find clearer markers and better treatment options.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2015 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,868,594 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AI106684-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11330457 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with severe asthma that does not respond to corticosteroids who are willing to provide blood and airway samples and attend clinic visits.
✕Less likely to help
People with mild, well-controlled asthma or asthma that responds to standard steroid treatment are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
From the patient's perspective, researchers collect blood and airway samples from people with severe steroid-refractory asthma and use advanced cell-profiling tools like mass cytometry (CyTOF) along with lab studies of bronchial epithelial cells. Early work found two main patterns: one driven by innate immune responses and environmental triggers, and another where airway cell death and CD8 T cells interact. The team will refine these molecular and immune profiles, study genetic and epigenetic risk factors, and look for biomarkers that can guide more precise therapies. The overall aim is to match patients to the most appropriate, cost-effective treatments and reveal new targets for therapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help match patients to the right biologic or other targeted therapies and identify new treatment targets for severe steroid-refractory asthma.
How similar studies have gone: Related approaches using immune cell profiling and targeted biologics have helped some severe asthma subtypes, but the specific two-pattern airway–immune interaction model is newer and needs further validation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ray, Anuradha — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Ray, Anuradha
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Neutrophils' role in severe asthma
This project looks at how certain white blood cells called neutrophils drive severe asthma in people who do not respond to current treatments.
-
Alternative pathobiology in severe asthma affects more than just the classic allergic pathway
This Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award aims to understand a non-traditional pathway (T1 inflammation) that may drive severe asthma in patients who don’t respond to standard therapies.
-
Nebulized STAT3 inhibitor for severe asthma in adults and children
A new inhaled therapy aims to calm overactive airway inflammation in people with severe asthma by delivering a STAT3-inhibiting compound directly to lung cells.
-
Understanding how LIGHT affects severe asthma and airway remodeling
Scientists are studying how a molecule called LIGHT drives severe asthma by promoting dangerous changes in the airways, with the goal of finding new ways to help people who don’t respond to current treatments.
-
Immune and cell‑aging changes in steroid‑resistant severe asthma
This project looks at immune system changes and early cell aging in people whose severe asthma doesn't improve with steroid treatment to find new treatment ideas.
-
Airway inflammation and scarring in severe asthma
This project looks at what causes the airways to thicken and scar in people with severe asthma to help find better treatments.
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.