Using orexin to improve breathing in obesity- and opioid-related hypoventilation
Project 2: Orexin Signaling and Hypoventilation
This project looks at whether increasing orexin brain signals can improve breathing in people with obesity-related hypoventilation and opioid-induced respiratory depression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11016104 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers use mouse models that mimic obesity-related hypoventilation (diet-induced obese mice) and opioid-induced respiratory depression (mice treated with morphine) to study breathing problems. They will increase activity of orexin neurons or give orexin-like drugs and measure breathing, especially responses to high carbon dioxide levels. The team will examine key brainstem breathing circuits to understand how orexin improves ventilation. Findings aim to guide development of treatments that could later be tested in people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with obesity-related hypoventilation (OHS) or people taking prescription opioids who experience clinically significant breathing suppression would be the most relevant candidates for future trials based on this work.
Not a fit: People whose breathing problems are caused by other conditions (for example, advanced neuromuscular disease, structural lung disease, or forms of sleep apnea unrelated to orexin pathways) or who cannot take orexin-targeting drugs may not benefit from these approaches.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new therapies that boost orexin signaling to restore or protect breathing in people with obesity-related hypoventilation or opioid-related respiratory depression.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical studies show orexin influences breathing and orexin-deficient animals have poor CO2 responses, but using orexin agonists as a therapy is mainly novel and has been tested mostly in animal models so far.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Scammell, Thomas E — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Scammell, Thomas E
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.