Using blood-based infection and genetic tests to improve asthma care across ages
Better utilization of omics data to inform precision medicine for asthma throughout the life course
This project uses advanced blood tests and genetic analyses to learn how past viral and bacterial exposures affect asthma attacks in children and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11304510 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers may collect blood samples and health information to look for past infections using a technique called Phage ImmunoPrecipitation Sequencing (PhIP-Seq) and to run genetic, epigenetic, and metabolomic tests. They will combine these data to see how prior viral and bacterial exposures interact with a person’s genes and biology to influence asthma attacks and severity. The work includes people across the life course so findings can apply to both children and adults. Results could help identify biological markers linked to higher risk of exacerbations.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with asthma, including children and adults and especially those with a history of frequent or severe exacerbations, would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without asthma or whose breathing problems are clearly driven by noninfectious causes (for example, only seasonal allergies) may not directly benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify who is more likely to have asthma attacks and support more personalized prevention or treatment strategies.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked infections to asthma worsening, but combining PhIP-Seq with genetics and metabolomics across ages is a relatively new and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lasky-Su, Jessica a — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Lasky-Su, Jessica a
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.