Steroid treatment strategies for adults with ARDS
Official title: Emulated Target Trials of Steroids in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Funded at Massachusetts Institute of Technology · NIH-11258563 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses large ICU medical records to compare different steroid timing and dosing approaches for adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome to learn which approaches may work best.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | January 15, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $123,599 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HL177773-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11258563 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome (including ARDS related to infections such as COVID-19) are the group most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
Children, people without ARDS, or patients whose care does not involve steroid decisions are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
We will analyze de-identified ICU records from two large U.S. databases (MIMIC-IV and eICU) to mimic randomized trials that compare different ways steroids have been given for ARDS. The team will use advanced causal methods called target trial emulation and g-methods to reduce bias that comes from observational data. Machine learning will be used to find patient subgroups (phenotypes) and to help suggest more personalized treatment rules. This work looks at past patient records and does not enroll people into a new treatment study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help clinicians choose the best timing and dosing of steroids to reduce complications and improve outcomes for patients with ARDS.
How similar studies have gone: Randomized trials of steroids in ARDS have produced mixed results, and using target trial emulation on large ICU datasets is a newer approach that has shown promise in other critical care questions but is less common for ARDS.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lehman, Li-Wei H — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Lehman, Li-Wei H
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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.