The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded a Project Grant of $724,431 to the University of Illinois under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837). The grant will fund research to delineate the terminal and respiratory bronchiolar epithelial lineages and study the cell-intrinsic transcriptional networks that maintain distal basal cell identity in the human lung. The study aims to advance the understanding of the cellular composition and properties of the terminal and respiratory bronchioles, which are key sites of damage in various lung diseases. The project will utilize primary human stem cell cultures and the ferret model, which closely resembles the human small airway anatomy, to develop the first terminal and respiratory bronchiolar-specific lineage tracing system. This work is expected to assist in developing effective therapies for diseases involving the human small airways. The award period runs from August 2024 through July 2029.
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