Inhaled combination antibiotics for severe drug-resistant lung infections
Aerosol delivery of combinational therapeutics targeting deadly lung infections
Developing inhaled combinations of antibiotics to better treat people with serious drug-resistant lung infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Purdue University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (West Lafayette, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11299489 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered inhaled antibiotic medicines designed to deliver more drug directly into your airways than standard IV antibiotics. The research focuses on combining polymyxins with aminoglycoside antibiotics to boost killing of resistant bacteria while reducing lung cell damage. Scientists will optimize how much drug gets into the lung, study how the drugs affect airway cells, and test safety and delivery using advanced lab models and animal studies. The goal is to find doses and delivery methods that work well without causing harmful lung side effects.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with severe pulmonary infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria that are not responding to standard IV antibiotics.
Not a fit: People with non-bacterial lung conditions, viral infections, or those who cannot use inhaled treatments are unlikely to benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve treatment success for resistant lung infections while lowering lung toxicity and slowing resistance development.
How similar studies have performed: Inhaled polymyxins are already used in clinics but have not been systematically optimized and combining them with aminoglycosides is a promising but relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
West Lafayette, United States
- Purdue University — West Lafayette, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhou, Qi — Purdue University
- Study coordinator: Zhou, Qi
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.