How low blood pH (acidosis) affects lung blood vessel injury and healing
Official title: Acidosis in pulmonary endothelial injury and repair
Funded at University of South Alabama · NIH-11304540 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether low blood pH during severe pneumonia causes harmful protein release that damages tiny lung blood vessels and whether targeting a protein called CA IX could help people with pneumonia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Alabama NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Mobile, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $385,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL160988-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11304540 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with severe pneumonia—especially those who develop acidosis or have Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection—would be the most relevant candidates for future trials based on this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without pneumonia-related lung blood vessel injury or without low blood pH are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this specific line of research.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how acidosis (low pH) changes the behavior of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, the tiny blood vessel cells that line the lungs. In lab experiments using these endothelial cells and bacterial infection models with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, they will examine release of cytotoxic amyloid proteins and loss (shedding) of the CA IX protein. The team will use genetic tools and cell-based functional assays to see how CA IX controls cell pH, metabolism, movement, and barrier repair. Findings will be used to build a conceptual basis for future diagnostics or treatments aimed at reducing lung injury in pneumonia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to protect lung blood vessels and reduce lung injury and deaths from severe pneumonia.
How similar studies have gone: Previous laboratory studies by the investigators have shown CA IX's role in endothelial cells and that P. aeruginosa can trigger cytotoxic amyloid release, but translating these findings into patient treatments remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
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University of South Alabama
Mobile, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Ji Young — University of South Alabama
- Study coordinator: Lee, Ji Young
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.