How the adult lung's immune and blood cells cause injury and recover
Immunobiology of the normal and injured lung
Researchers are examining how platelets, neutrophils, antibodies, and web-like NETs cause lung damage in adults with acute lung injury and ARDS to help guide better treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11258006 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work combines detailed imaging in mice with analysis of human ARDS lung samples from existing biobanks to trace how immune and blood cells behave during lung injury. The team will use models of sterile and infection-related lung injury, advanced lung transplantation techniques, and live imaging to watch platelets, neutrophils, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in action. They will also study how antibodies from blood transfusions or organ transplants can trigger lung damage and build new models to mimic those events. Findings from the animal models and human samples will be compared to pinpoint processes that could be targeted by future therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who have acute lung injury or ARDS, or adults who develop lung problems after blood transfusion or solid-organ transplant, are the people whose conditions this work focuses on.
Not a fit: Children and people without acute lung injury (for example those with stable, chronic lung conditions) are unlikely to see direct benefit from this grant's research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or reduce severe lung damage in adults with ARDS, transfusion-related lung injury, or transplant-related lung complications.
How similar studies have performed: Related preclinical work targeting platelets, neutrophils, and NETs has shown promising results in animal models, but translation to effective human treatments remains limited.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Looney, Mark Roberts — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Looney, Mark Roberts
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.