Measuring respiratory and gut bacteria to predict pneumonia treatment failure
Official title: Quantifying respiratory and gut bacterial strain persistence to predict pneumonia treatment failure
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11463313 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project to understand how bacterial load in the lungs and gut changes during and after antibiotics for hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, with the goal of predicting which patients might fail treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | July 17, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $785,766 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AI202932-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11463313 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia who are receiving antibiotic treatment and can provide respiratory samples.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not meeting the pneumonia criteria or unable to provide necessary samples may not benefit from this study.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one develops HAP or VAP, this study follows patients to measure how much bacteria is present in the lungs and gut during and after antibiotic therapy. Researchers will collect respiratory samples over time and use new molecular methods to quantify bacterial load, aiming to identify patterns that signal treatment failure early. The study also looks at how antibiotic treatment shapes the microbiome and whether interactions between gut and respiratory bacteria influence outcomes. By building the REBEL cohort, the team seeks to personalize antibiotic duration and improve recovery and future infection risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more precise antibiotic use and better outcomes for people with hospital-associated pneumonia.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary research suggests microbial load and microbiome dynamics relate to treatment response, but this specific respiratory–gut interaction approach is a novel, translational step.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kelly, Brendan Joseph — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Kelly, Brendan Joseph
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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.