Understanding how early changes in lungs lead to progressive fibrotic disease
Official title: Spatiotemporal genomic regulation of disease initiation and progression in pulmonary fibrosis
Funded at Translational Genomics Research Inst · NIH-11406083 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies the cells and genes involved in starting and advancing pulmonary fibrosis to uncover why some people progress to severe disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Translational Genomics Research Inst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Phoenix, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2019 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $807,795 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL145372-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11406083 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or those without fibrosis who provide lung tissue samples for study.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with established end-stage fibrosis or without related samples may not directly benefit from the research findings.
What this research studies
Researchers have built a large single-cell map of lung tissue from people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and controls to find new cell types and states associated with disease. The project aims to identify the earliest biological changes and molecular programs that drive disease initiation and progression, with a focus on how genetic and molecular factors shape different patient outcomes. The work relies on advanced genomic analyses of human lung samples to pinpoint potential targets for therapies that could slow or halt progression before end-stage disease. By understanding these early steps, the team hopes to inform strategies that prevent irreversible lung damage in patients with PF.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of early disease mechanisms could lead to new treatments that slow progression and improve quality of life for patients with pulmonary fibrosis.
How similar studies have gone: Previous single-cell studies have revealed cellular diversity in IPF and informed new hypotheses about disease initiation and progression.
Where this research is happening
-
Translational Genomics Research Inst
Phoenix, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Banovich, Nicholas Eli — Translational Genomics Research Inst
- Study coordinator: Banovich, Nicholas Eli
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Molecular clues to progressive lung scarring
Researchers are studying how lung tissue becomes progressively scarred, focusing on cell signals and receptors that may drive fibrosis in people with lung disease.
-
Alveolar Cell Dysfunction in Pulmonary Fibrosis: Using SFTPC Mutations to Find New Targets
This grant explores how rare SFTPC mutations in alveolar cells may drive IPF and seeks new molecular targets to improve treatment.
-
Iron and scar-forming cells in the lungs (IPF)
Researchers are exploring how iron in the lungs may drive the scarring seen in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and whether this could lead to new therapies.
-
Repurposing Pyrvinium as an Inhaled Therapy for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
A patient-friendly look at a project trying to use an existing drug, pyrvinium, as an inhaled treatment option for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
-
Screening new compounds to reverse gene signatures in IPF lungs
A researcher hopes to find compounds that reverse harmful gene changes in the lungs of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
-
Role of lactate transporters in lung scarring
Aims to see if blocking lactate transporters can slow or stop scar-forming cells from thickening the lungs in people with fibrotic lung disease.
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.