How airway lining cells and immune cells interact in asthma and COPD
Mapping Airway Epithelial Cell-Immune Cell Interactions in Lung Health and Disease
This work looks at how cells that line the airways and immune cells communicate in people with asthma or COPD to find what drives airway inflammation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178677 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will map the different airway epithelial and immune cell types found in human airways and examine how they interact in health and in asthma or COPD. They will pay special attention to rare epithelial cell types (like tuft, hillock, microfold, and neuroendocrine cells) and to airway structures such as hillock islands and inducible bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue. The team will study the specific T cell and B cell responses to allergens, microbes, or self-antigens to see which immune reactions accumulate in airways. Lab models and detailed cell-level analyses will be used alongside human airway samples to link cell behavior to disease features.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with asthma or COPD who can provide airway samples or join a clinical cohort at participating centers, typically adults with active airway disease.
Not a fit: People without airway disease or whose symptoms arise from conditions unrelated to epithelial-immune interactions are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal specific cell interactions or immune targets that lead to new or more personalized treatments for asthma and COPD.
How similar studies have performed: Recent single-cell and tissue-mapping studies have identified new airway cell types, but directly linking specific epithelial-immune circuits to human asthma and COPD remains a novel and developing area.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Medoff, Benjamin David — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Medoff, Benjamin David
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.