Screening small medicines to block RSV in baby and adult airway cells
Official title: Screening for small-molecule inhibitors of respiratory syncytial viral infection in infant bronchial epithelial barrier
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11448608 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small study tests whether certain drugs can block age-related signals in respiratory cells to stop RSV infection in infants and young children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $233,250 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AI196505-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11448608 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants and young children with RSV risk could benefit from future drugs identified by this screening.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals or those without RSV would not directly benefit from this specific screening.
What this research studies
This project uses human airway cells grown from stem cells to create a high-throughput screen. Researchers will compare how infant and adult cells react to RSV and look for small molecules that can interfere with age-dependent signaling that leads to disease. They will screen a library of 1,243 compounds in a 96-well format to identify potential therapeutics. The work combines cell biology, virology, and drug screening to find ways to reduce severity of RSV in young children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could identify candidate drugs to prevent or lessen RSV illness in infants and reduce hospitalizations.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggest age-dependent epithelial responses to RSV, and high-throughput screens have yielded candidate compounds in related settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ai, Xingbin — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Ai, Xingbin
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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.