How the inflammasome causes lung inflammation and ways to block it
Mechanism and targeting of inflammasome activation in lung inflammation and injury
This project tests whether boosting or targeting a protein called MafB can reduce dangerous inflammasome-driven inflammation in acute lung injury and severe pneumonia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11256743 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This research looks at how a protein called MafB controls the NLRP3 inflammasome, a molecular trigger of harmful lung inflammation. Scientists will use lab-grown cells and animal infection models (including LPS and Pseudomonas aeruginosa triggers) to see how MafB levels change at the gene and protein level and how that affects release of inflammatory molecules like IL-1β. They will manipulate MafB and its regulators to see if restoring MafB or blocking its loss prevents inflammasome activation and lung damage. The goal is to identify molecular steps that could be targeted by future treatments to calm life-threatening lung inflammation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with or at high risk for acute lung injury, severe bacterial pneumonia (including Pseudomonas infections), or suspected inflammasome-driven lung inflammation would be most relevant to this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose breathing problems are caused by non-inflammasome mechanisms (for example primarily structural lung disease or non-inflammatory causes) are less likely to benefit from these findings in the near term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new therapies that reduce severe lung inflammation and organ injury in patients with acute lung injury or pneumonia.
How similar studies have performed: Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome is an active and promising area in preclinical research, but translating these approaches into proven human treatments remains limited and identifying MafB as a regulator is a newly reported angle.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Gang — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Liu, Gang
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.