NIH-funded research R21 grant

Patient-centered risk profiling to tailor breathlessness care

Official title: Patient-centered risk profiling to improve precision dyspnea management

Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11445476 · Data updated 2026-11-12

A study from UCLA aims to use AI to identify why a smoker experiences shortness of breath and tailor care to each person.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of California Los Angeles
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Los Angeles, United States)
Project startAugust 1, 2026
Project endJuly 31, 2028
Funding year2026
Award (this year)$236,250
NIH project number1R21HL188677-01
Project IDNIH-11445476 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Adults (21 years or older) who have a history of smoking and experience dyspnea and are able to participate in AI-driven assessments.

Less likely to help

Individuals without dyspnea or those unwilling to participate in AI-based analyses may derive no direct benefit.

What this research studies

Researchers will collect information from adults who smoke and experience dyspnea to build an AI tool that explains which factors most drive a person’s breathlessness. The project will use explainable AI and Shapley value analysis to show how different factors contribute to each individual’s risk. By clustering patients with similar attribution profiles, the team hopes to identify meaningful subtypes of dyspnea that can guide personalized management. With a clear, patient-friendly output, clinicians could tailor treatments to the driver behind a smoker’s breathlessness.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help clinicians personalize dyspnea treatment for smokers, improving comfort and daily functioning.

How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work in AI-driven phenotyping suggests promise for personalized symptom management, but this exact dyspnea attribution approach is novel.

Where this research is happening

  • University of California Los Angeles
    Los Angeles, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Shin, Joosun — University of California Los Angeles
  • Study coordinator: Shin, Joosun

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

  • Understanding how the brain shapes breathing to help people with persistent breathlessness

    Researchers are studying how higher brain regions influence breathing and the feeling of breathlessness in people with conditions like COPD and asthma, with the goal of safer, non-ventilation-impairing treatments.

    NIH research Feinstein Institute for Medical Research · Manhasset, United States · NIH-11417976

  • Predicting and continuously monitoring breathlessness with noninvasive signals

    A study to create a machine-learning tool that uses easy-to-measure body signals to predict when patients feel breathless, even if they can’t communicate.

    NIH research University of California Riverside · Riverside, United States · NIH-11366620

  • Personalized oxygen and breathing support for cancer-related breathlessness

    This trial compares a respiratory-therapist-led program that tailors oxygen and other breathing supports to help hospitalized patients with advanced cancer who are bothered by breathlessness.

    NIH research University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · Houston, United States · NIH-11326219

  • How the brain creates ongoing breathlessness

    Researchers are recording brain signals from people who already have implanted epilepsy electrodes to understand how higher brain regions produce ongoing breathlessness in conditions like COPD, asthma, heart or neuromuscular disease.

    NIH research Feinstein Institute for Medical Research · Manhasset, United States · NIH-11166345

  • Brief behavioral support to help breathlessness in advanced lung cancer

    A multi-site study tests a short behavioral program delivered by nurses to help adults with advanced lung cancer feel less breathless and more able to do daily activities.

    NIH research Massachusetts General Hospital · Boston, United States · NIH-11130485

  • Personalized oxygen therapies for cancer-related breathing difficulties

    This study is looking to help people with advanced cancer who are having trouble breathing by comparing a special program led by respiratory therapists to regular care, to see which one works better at making breathing easier.

    NIH research University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · Houston, United States · NIH-11074530

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.