How early asthma risk and infant RSV infection shape airway cells and future infections
Official title: How asthma predisposition and infant RSV infection affects airway epithelial differentiation, barrier function, and responses to subsequent viral infection
Funded at Vanderbilt University Medical Center · NIH-11353465 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how being at risk for asthma and early RSV infection might change airway lining cells in babies and how they respond to later viruses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2011 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $175,883 |
| NIH project number | 2U19AI095227-17 |
| Project ID | NIH-11353465 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 0-11 years with or without a family history of allergic asthma, especially those with early RSV exposure or wheezing.
✕Less likely to help
Children without risk factors or wheezing history may have limited direct benefit from this research.
What this research studies
Researchers at Vanderbilt investigate how genetic risk for asthma and infant RSV exposure affect the development and function of airway epithelial cells in young children. They study how these cells form barriers and produce signals when faced with viruses, aiming to understand why some kids wheeze or develop asthma later. The team uses nasal airway cells from children and laboratory models to examine differentiation, barrier integrity, and antiviral responses like interferons. The work builds on observations that wheezing toddlers show altered cell behavior and stronger inflammatory pathways. By clarifying these early changes, the study seeks to identify opportunities for early interventions to prevent asthma progression.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide early strategies to strengthen airway defenses and reduce asthma risk in high-risk children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that early-life airway cells can change in wheezy children, supporting the relevance of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Newcomb, Dawn C — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Newcomb, Dawn C
Related research
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This grant studies how group 2 innate lymphoid cells influence asthma in adults to help identify new ways to manage airway inflammation.
-
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A study at UC San Francisco will profile blood and nasal/sputum samples from 300 youth (including 200 with asthma) over a year to understand how environmental and social factors influence asthma in marginalized communities.
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Preventing and improving asthma care for children in urban communities
This program will try several approaches — from giving helpful bacteria to babies to allergy immunotherapy and advanced airway testing — to prevent and better treat asthma in children who live in cities.
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IDEAL project helps predict vaccine response, infections, and asthma in early childhood
A Child-focused program will collect and share saliva, blood, and tissue samples from diverse infants to find biological patterns that predict how vaccines work, how respiratory infections occur, and who develops asthma.
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.