Right ventricle health in pulmonary hypertension: sex differences and new treatment ideas
Official title: Mechanisms of right ventricle adaptation to pulmonary hypertension
Funded at National Jewish Health · NIH-11401155 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in rats explores how female hormones and a specific immune pathway affect the right heart’s ability to cope with high blood pressure in the lungs, and tests potential ways to improve heart function.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | National Jewish Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Denver, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2019 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $693,427 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL144727-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401155 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with or at risk for pulmonary hypertension who may benefit from therapies targeting right-ventricle function and sex-related biological differences.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without right-ventricle involvement or those not eligible for hormone- or inflammasome-targeted strategies may see no direct benefit.
What this research studies
This grant focuses on how the right ventricle adapts to pulmonary hypertension and why women tend to survive longer. It looks at the NLRP3 inflammasome, an immune pathway, in heart cells and how the hormone estrogen receptor ERα might block this pathway to improve heart performance. The team uses rat models to study heart function, signaling pathways, and the potential of targeting inflammasome activity as a therapy. The aim is to identify sexually dimorphic mechanisms and validate estrogen-related strategies to enhance right- heart–pulmonary artery coupling under disease conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to female-focused or sex hormone–influenced therapies that improve right-heart function in people with pulmonary hypertension.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked NLRP3 inflammasome activity to heart dysfunction, but this project tests a novel sex-specific mechanism and therapy approach in animal models.
Where this research is happening
-
National Jewish Health
Denver, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lahm, Tim — National Jewish Health
- Study coordinator: Lahm, Tim
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how CD4 T cells fuel schistosomiasis-related lung disease
A study explores how specific immune cells and inflammatory signals in schistosomiasis may contribute to pulmonary hypertension in people affected by the disease.
-
CD4 T Cells, Schistosoma, and Pulmonary Hypertension: Understanding How Immune Cells Drive Disease
A human-health focused study uses a mouse model and human samples to explore how immune cells and inflammation may contribute to a lung blood vessel disease linked to schistosomiasis.
-
CD4 T Cells and Schistosoma-Related Pulmonary Hypertension
A study to understand how specific immune cells behave in a lung complication caused by schistosomiasis, with the goal of finding targets to prevent or treat it.
-
Clinical CT Imaging to identify and subtype pulmonary hypertension in COPD
A new CT imaging approach aims to help doctors detect and classify pulmonary hypertension in people with COPD.
-
Right heart remodeling in pulmonary hypertension
In people with pulmonary hypertension, researchers are studying how the right side of the heart changes and why it fails, with the goal of finding new treatments.
-
TEMPO-PH: How the right heart adapts in pulmonary hypertension over time
A study to build a detailed molecular portrait of why the right side of the heart fails in pulmonary hypertension and how a common heart medicine might help.
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.