Project Grant K08HL171850

Award Date 7/15/24
Completion Date 6/30/29
Dollars Obligated $314K
Federal Grant Program
93.837
Assistance Type
Project Grant
Place of Performance
Denver, CO 80206, USA

This Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) provides $313,632.00 in funding to National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the 5-year project is to investigate how interleukin-6 (IL-6) signaling promotes resistance to apoptosis in fibroblasts through increased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2, and to evaluate the potential of targeting this IL-6-BCL-2 axis as a therapeutic approach for progressive pulmonary fibrosis. The research will utilize in vitro cell culture, precision-cut lung slices, and in vivo mouse models to determine the causal role of IL-6 in driving pulmonary fibrosis and assess whether inhibiting IL-6 signaling can reduce BCL-2 expression, induce fibroblast apoptosis, and reverse established fibrosis. This award supports the career development of Dr. Joseph Cooley, an early-career physician-scientist at National Jewish Health, as he transitions to becoming an independent researcher in the field of fibrotic lung diseases.

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