Radiation therapy and lung health: how radiation affects airways, blood vessels, and breathing
Official title: Radiation therapy damage to airways and vessels: determining impact on ventilation, perfusion, and radiation-induced lung injury
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11279313 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant looks at how radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer can affect the lungs’ airways and blood vessels and what that means for breathing and lung function.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | September 8, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $576,328 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA309192-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11279313 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with non-small cell lung cancer who are undergoing or will undergo radiation therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not receiving radiation therapy or those with cancer types not studied by this project may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If funded, researchers will study how areas exposed to radiation change ventilation and blood flow in the lungs and how this relates to developing radiation-induced lung injury. The project will use medical images to understand where damage occurs and why some patients experience more toxicity after treatment. The goal is to guide safer radiation approaches and potentially reduce long-term breathing problems for people with NSCLC. Patients whose treatment plan includes radiation may benefit from findings that optimize dosing and protect healthy lung tissue.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to safer radiation plans that lower the risk of breathing problems after lung cancer treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work suggests that tissue radiosensitivity and lung imaging can reveal injury patterns, but this project aims to connect imaging findings with functional changes more clearly.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bayouth, John — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Bayouth, John
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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.