Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded $134,439.00 to the Regents of the University of Michigan under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to support mentoring and translational research in interstitial lung disease (ILD). This five-year Project Grant, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031, will fund the development of protein-based biomarkers to improve early ILD detection and identify new therapeutic targets. The principal investigator will establish and expand mentoring capabilities for trainee researchers while advancing proteomics-based approaches to distinguish ILD from other chronic respiratory conditions in patient populations.

The research deliverables include: (1) derivation and validation of a proteomic biomarker using machine learning to predict ILD in patients presenting with chronic respiratory symptoms, utilizing a discovery cohort of 500 patients (200 ILD, 300 non-ILD) and measuring 192 disease-relevant proteins through medium-throughput proteomic arrays; and (2) identification of circulating proteins that play potentially causal roles in ILD progression. The award supports the University of Michigan's broader mission as a leading federal research recipient, with this investigation contributing to NHLBI's portfolio of translational and clinical research addressing cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.