Lung infections and brain health: could lung-made tau affect thinking after critical illness
Official title: Nosocomial pneumonia elicited lung tau impairs learning
Funded at University of South Alabama · NIH-11366492 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A government-funded study will look at whether a protein variant released from the lungs during pneumonia could contribute to thinking and memory problems after serious illness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Alabama NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Mobile, United States) |
| Project start | September 9, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,521,200 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL180368-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11366492 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a history of acute respiratory distress syndrome or severe lung infection who are at risk for cognitive difficulties.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of critical illness or lung infection may not experience direct benefit from this research.
What this research studies
If you’ve had a severe lung infection or critical illness, this research asks how signals from the lungs might affect your brain and thinking after you recover. The team will study tau variants produced when the lungs are infected and see how these molecules could travel to the brain and influence cognitive outcomes. They will use lab experiments and analyses of human samples to understand this potential connection and what it means for treatment and recovery. The goal is to identify potential targets to prevent or lessen cognitive problems that many survivors experience.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could point to new ways to protect or improve thinking problems after serious lung infections.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has linked brain injury to critical illness, but the specific role of lung-derived tau variants is exploratory and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Alabama
Mobile, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Mike — University of South Alabama
- Study coordinator: Lin, Mike
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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.