How the LKB1 protein affects blood vessel and lung growth in babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Official title: Role of Liver Kinase B1 in the decreased angiogenesis in bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Funded at Medical College of Wisconsin · NIH-11135377 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research is seeing if targeting a cell energy protein (LKB1/AMPK) can help restore blood vessel and lung growth in premature infants at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical College of Wisconsin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $645,450 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL174635-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11135377 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future clinical work would be premature infants at high risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or families willing to provide samples for related studies.
✕Less likely to help
Adults without a history of prematurity or patients with lung disease unrelated to BPD are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If my baby was born early and at risk for BPD, researchers will study how decreased LKB1 and related AMPK signaling leads to poor blood vessel (angiogenesis) and lung development. They use a newborn mouse model exposed to high oxygen to mimic preterm lung injury and measure molecules such as LKB1, AMPK, SNRK, and PGC-1α and how mitochondria and endothelial cells behave. The team will test whether activating AMPK (for example with metformin) or manipulating LKB1 restores mitochondrial function and the ability of lung endothelial cells to form new blood vessels. Findings will focus on how endothelial cells choose migratory “tip” or proliferative “stalk” behaviors during vessel growth and how that process is disrupted by hyperoxia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to protect or improve lung and blood-vessel growth in preterm infants with or at risk for BPD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies, including treatment with the AMPK activator metformin, have restored mitochondrial function and improved angiogenesis in mouse BPD models, but LKB1-specific approaches and human data remain limited.
Where this research is happening
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Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Konduri, Girija G. — Medical College of Wisconsin
- Study coordinator: Konduri, Girija G.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Role of uneven lung growth in chronic lung disease from birth to adulthood
This grant explores how mismatched growth of airways, airspaces, and blood vessels during early life might lead to lasting lung problems in bronchopulmonary dysplasia and how that affects people over time.
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Regulatory T Cells and Lung Disease-Related High Blood Pressure in Adults
This project studies how a type of immune cell called regulatory T cells may influence inflammation and blood vessel changes in lung disease, with potential relevance to adults who have vascular issues in their lungs.
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Understanding how breathing effort in premature babies with lung disease comes from different lung problems
A research project aims to create a patient-specific tool to measure how different features of bronchopulmonary dysplasia contribute to the struggle to breathe in premature infants.
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Role of LKB1 in reduced lung blood vessel growth in BPD
Aims to understand how a cellular regulator (LKB1) affects blood vessel formation in the lungs of preterm infants at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
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A new approach to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants
A new treatment strategy aimed at improving lung development in premature babies at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
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L-Citrulline for BPD-related Pulmonary Hypertension in Preterm Babies
A first-in-human study will test safe and effective doses of L-citrulline given by mouth to stability-preterm infants at risk for lung blood pressure problems.
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.