Understanding severe hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia
Systems Biology Modeling of Severe Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia
This project looks at lung fluid from people with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia to find biological patterns that predict who will get better or worse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11248065 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, doctors will collect a sample of lung fluid (bronchoalveolar lavage) and clinical information while you are treated for pneumonia. Scientists will run 'multi-omic' tests to measure your immune response, the genetic features of the infecting bacteria, and the mix of microbes in your lungs. They will use systems-biology and computer modeling to link those molecular patterns to whether patients improve or deteriorate. The team hopes those patterns can point to better ways to diagnose risk and guide treatment choices.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with hospital-acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia, particularly patients receiving mechanical ventilation who can safely undergo bronchoalveolar lavage, are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People with community-acquired pneumonia, those not hospitalized or not able to undergo bronchoalveolar lavage, and those treated outside participating hospitals may not be eligible or directly benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to tests that predict clinical outcomes and help tailor treatments to reduce deaths from hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have shown that immune responses, pathogen genetics, and the lung microbiome matter individually, but combining all three in patients is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hauser, Alan R — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Hauser, Alan R
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 below.