How neutrophils affect pneumonia and asthma outcomes
Clinical Phenotyping and Molecular Integration Core
This project links patient medical records with advanced lab tests to learn how different neutrophil types in the lungs relate to pneumonia and asthma in children and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11387525 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, the team will link your health record information with blood and lung samples to look at neutrophils using genomic, transcriptomic, spatial, and functional lab tests. Northwestern and National Jewish will curate existing samples and collect new asthma samples, clean the data, and run the same analysis steps at both sites. Researchers will combine clinical and molecular data for each person and use machine learning to find patterns tied to disease features and outcomes. The core coordinates sample handling and data integration across sites so findings can apply to a broad group of patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with severe pneumonia or people with asthma (including children and adults) who can provide clinical records and biological samples.
Not a fit: People without pneumonia or asthma and those seeking an immediate treatment benefit are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research core.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new tests or treatments that target harmful neutrophil types to improve outcomes in pneumonia and asthma.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have linked neutrophil differences to lung disease, but combining large clinical records with multi-omics, spatial transcriptomics, and functional assays at this scale is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Walunas, Theresa L — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Walunas, Theresa L
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.