This proposal will develop and evaluate an innovative and potential clinical treatment for asthma. Although there are a multitude of different possible triggers, an acute asthmatic attack is always characterized by contraction of the smooth muscle in the airway wall. Despite this common end point, most of the clinical asthma research and therapies in recent years have focused on understanding the immunologic factors that often lead to asthmatic attacks. The present proposal describes research and development that focuses on a treatment of smooth muscle that will thus be effective in asthmatic attacks regardless of the initial trigger. It involves the design, construction, and application of a biomedical device that can prevent or minimize the ability of the smooth muscle in the airways to constrict. The project involves a close working partnership between the physiologic laboratories and expertise at the Johns Hopkins University and a small California biomedical engineering company, that is providing the mechanical and bioengineering skills needed for product development. The overall hypothesis governing this proposal is that, the treatment of airway smooth muscle with this innovative system will minimize obstruction caused by smooth muscle contraction, regardless of its origin. In this proposal, six specific aims will be directed toward addressing this hypothesis.
Two aims are concerned with determining the optimal parameters and design criteria for maximal effectiveness, and four aims are concerned with assessing the safety and potential side effects of this treatment. The information obtained from these functional studies will be essential, not only in the ongoing engineering and development of the optimal device, but also to help set guidelines for the use of this device in future clinical trials. The studies proposed in this BRP will thus allow optimization of a biomedical device that has the potential to effectively cure all forms of human asthma.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL066020-02
Application #
6527676
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SSS-3 (02))
Program Officer
Noel, Patricia
Project Start
2001-09-30
Project End
2006-08-31
Budget Start
2002-09-01
Budget End
2003-08-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$763,051
Indirect Cost
Name
Johns Hopkins University
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
045911138
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21218
Limjunyawong, Nathachit; Kearson, Alexandra; Das, Sandhya et al. (2015) Effect of point sampling density in quantifying mouse lung emphysema. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 298:531-7
Limjunyawong, Nathachit; Fallica, Jonathan; Horton, Maureen R et al. (2015) Measurement of the pressure-volume curve in mouse lungs. J Vis Exp :52376
Limjunyawong, Nathachit; Craig, John M; Lagassé, H A Daniel et al. (2015) Experimental progressive emphysema in BALB/cJ mice as a model for chronic alveolar destruction in humans. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 309:L662-76
Paré, Peter D; Mitzner, Wayne (2012) Counterpoint: alterations in airway smooth muscle phenotype do not cause airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma. J Appl Physiol (1985) 113:839-42
Paré, Peter D; Mitzner, Wayne (2012) Airway-parenchymal interdependence. Compr Physiol 2:1921-35
Smaldone, Gerald C; Mitzner, Wayne (2012) Viewpoint: unresolved mysteries. J Appl Physiol (1985) 113:1945-7
Gunst, Susan J; Panettieri Jr, Reynold A (2012) Point: alterations in airway smooth muscle phenotype do/do not cause airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma. J Appl Physiol 113:837-9
Mitzner, Wayne; Sylvester, J T (2012) In memoriam Dr Solbert Permutt, 1925–2012. Eur Respir J 40:811-3
Mitzner, Wayne; Smaldone, Gerald (2012) Last word on viewpoint: unresolved mysteries. J Appl Physiol (1985) 113:1950
Paré, Peter D; Mitzner, Wayne (2012) Last Word on Counterpoint: Alterations in airway smooth muscle phenotype do not cause airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma. J Appl Physiol (1985) 113:848

Showing the most recent 10 out of 17 publications