Rare bronchiectatic diseases: speeding smarter therapies for four rare lung conditions
Official title: Rare Bronchiectatic Diseases Consortium
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11614473 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A nationwide effort to understand four rare bronchiectatic diseases and identify biomarkers so future treatments can help people with these lung conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $114,188 |
| NIH project number | 3U54HL185005-02S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11614473 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals diagnosed with one of the four rare bronchiectatic diseases (primary ciliary dyskinesia, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, humoral immune deficiency, or STAT3-HIES) who can contribute clinical data or biospecimens.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without one of the specified rare bronchiectatic diseases or without access to participating clinics may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This program brings together researchers, patients, and advocacy groups to map how these four rare diseases progress and what biomarkers signal disease activity. It plans observational studies and biomarker work under a novel framework, aiming to speed the development of therapies for bronchiectasis linked to primary ciliary dyskinesia, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, humoral immune deficiency, and STAT3-HIES. By partnering with patient advocacy groups, the project seeks to build a pipeline of investigators and generate data that can support later trials and drug development. The work will include data collection from patients, imaging, blood samples, and other clinical information to illuminate disease trajectories. Overall, the grant seeks to fill knowledge gaps that have slowed treatment advances for these rare lung diseases.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with these four rare bronchiectatic diseases could receive faster access to targeted therapies and better-informed care plans based on validated biomarkers.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier work on bronchiectasis has shown that biomarker-driven approaches can guide therapy, but rare diseases in this group remain underexplored, making this project relatively novel for these conditions.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Olivier, Kenneth N. — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Olivier, Kenneth N.
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.