Imaging lung blood flow to personalize ARDS care
Official title: Imaging the Pulmonary Circulation to Aid Personalized Management of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11145964 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses advanced imaging to map blood flow in the lungs of people with ARDS so doctors can better target treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 29, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $820,186 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL171199-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11145964 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults hospitalized with moderate-to-severe ARDS who can undergo CT imaging and clinical monitoring, including many patients on mechanical ventilation, are the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with mild respiratory problems who do not meet ARDS criteria, those too unstable or unable to be moved for imaging, or those with contraindications to contrast dye may not be eligible or benefit.
What this research studies
If you have ARDS, the team will use advanced scans to create detailed maps of blood flow and blood volume in your lungs. They combine dynamic contrast-enhanced and dual-energy CT with an electrical imaging method to show where blood and air match or mismatch inside the lung. The images will help identify lung regions at higher risk of injury from breathing support and inform personalized ventilator or treatment choices. The goal is to move from animal findings to imaging-guided decisions in patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help clinicians tailor ventilation and other therapies to reduce lung injury and improve recovery for people with ARDS.
How similar studies have gone: Animal studies support the idea that perfusion patterns affect lung injury and some clinical imaging techniques exist, but applying high-resolution lung perfusion imaging to guide ARDS care in people is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cereda, Maurizio Franco — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Cereda, Maurizio Franco
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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.