Role of airway macrophages in lung health and allergic disease
Official title: Role of Intraepithelial airway macrophages in lung homeostasis and disease
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11628993 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A doctor-scientist at a major hospital wants to study how immune cells in the airways develop and influence asthma and other airway diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $58,320 |
| NIH project number | 3K08HL177151-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11628993 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with asthma or airway inflammatory diseases who could provide insights through advanced imaging and immune studies.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals without airway disease may not directly benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
This NIH K08 grant supports work by Dr. Tristan Kooistra at MGH/HMS to understand how signals from the airway lining influence the maturation of macrophages, key immune cells in the lungs. The project builds on prior work with people who have asthma and uses advanced 3D imaging and cutting-edge techniques to study innate immune signaling and how it affects allergic responses. Through mentorship and coursework, Dr. Kooistra will develop independent research skills to explore inflammatory airway diseases long-term. The goal is to illuminate mechanisms that could lead to better therapies for asthma and related conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to modulate airway immune responses and reduce asthma symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work in airway immunology has shown that macrophages can influence allergic inflammation, supporting the potential merit of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kooistra, Tristan Gregory — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Kooistra, Tristan Gregory
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.