How lung immune cells and microRNAs drive virus-related lung injury in people with and without diabetes
Official title: Role of macrophages and miRNA in regulating lung macrophage polarization and lung pathogenesis during respiratory virus-induced acute lung injury in normal and diabetic Syrian hamsters.
Funded at Boise VA Medical Center · NIH-11131022 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Looks at whether differences in lung immune cells and tiny RNAs change how lungs respond to respiratory viruses in people with and without diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boise VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boise, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006273-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11131022 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with diabetes who are at risk of or have experienced severe respiratory viral infections would be most relevant to this line of research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose lung problems are unrelated to viral infection or diabetes (for example, caused by chronic heart failure or purely noninfectious fibrosis) may not directly benefit from findings.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers will use Syrian hamsters (an animal model that gets flu, COVID, and adenovirus similar to people) to mirror lung infections and injury. They will compare hamsters with diabetes to those without to see how lung macrophages shift between inflammatory and healing states. The team will study macrophage metabolism (like glycolysis) and small regulatory RNAs (microRNAs) that influence those shifts. Findings will aim to identify biological signals that make lung injury worse in diabetes and possible targets to reduce that damage.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could point to new ways to prevent or reduce severe lung inflammation and deaths from virus-triggered acute lung injury and ARDS, especially for people with diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous laboratory and animal studies have linked macrophage metabolism and microRNAs to lung inflammation, but turning those findings into proven treatments for people remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
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Boise VA Medical Center
Boise, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Radke, Jay R — Boise VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Radke, Jay R
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.