Personalized sleep apnea care using genetics and biomarkers
Official title: Developing a P4 Medicine Approach to Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11419810 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-friendly look at a research program aiming to tailor sleep apnea care using genetics, biomarkers, and brain/body signals to improve prediction and prevention.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,365,421 |
| NIH project number | 5P01HL160471-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11419810 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include adults at risk for or affected by obstructive sleep apnea who are willing to undergo genetic testing, imaging, and biomarker analysis.
✕Less likely to help
People without sleep apnea or those unwilling to participate in genetic and imaging studies may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This NIH program bring together four projects and three support cores at the University of Pennsylvania to learn who is at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and how best to prevent and personalize treatment. One project will map genetic factors and body structure around the airway to understand why some people develop OSA and how fat distribution, like tongue fat, affects risk. Another project will test microRNAs as biomarkers to reflect the disease and its response to challenges such as low oxygen during sleep. Researchers will use advanced imaging and machine learning to turn genetic and imaging data into a polygenic risk score that could one day guide personalized prevention and therapy. The work is designed to move precision medicine for OSA from discovery to practical tools that clinicians and patients can use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lead to improved prediction of OSA risk and more personalized prevention and treatment strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Similar approaches using genetic data and biomarkers have shown promise in predicting OSA risk and tailoring therapies in some studies, but a full precision-medicine framework is still emerging.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pack, Allan I — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Pack, Allan I
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Biomarkers to understand obstructive sleep apnea using microRNAs
A study at the University of Pennsylvania will look for microRNA signs in the blood that reflect how bad sleep apnea is and how well CPAP therapy works for patients.
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A study to find better biomarkers for sleep apnea severity, especially in women, by monitoring people at home for a week and tracking daily mood and energy.
-
Personalized surgery options for kids with sleep apnea and small tonsils
This compares a personalized, sleep-endoscopy–guided surgical plan with the standard tonsil-and-adenoid removal for children with obstructive sleep apnea and small tonsils.
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.