Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Impaired Pneumococcal Antibody Function and Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Award Number: K08HL157651
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2026

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Impaired Pneumococcal Antibody Function and Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - Project Summary/Abstract: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) are a key driver of morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. A subset of COPD patients experience frequent ECOPD, and have a particularly poor prognosis. ECOPD are often caused by infections with encapsulated bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), and there is growing evidence that frequent exacerbators have impaired adaptive immune responses. Prior studies have demonstrated associations between ECOPD and low IgG and IgG subclass levels, as well as downregulation of genes associated with adaptive immune pathways. Impaired pneumococcal antibody function (PAF) and specific IgG2 variants (allotypes) are associated with increased risk of encapsulated bacterial infections in primary immunodeficiencies, however these factors have not been studied in COPD. The multiplexed opsonophagocytosis assay (MOPA) measures PAF via killing of pneumococci by serum antibodies in vitro, and is the primary method for measuring immune responses to pneumococcal vaccines in adults. Preliminary studies indicate that PAF can also be used to evaluate immune function in COPD, and that lower PAF is associated with frequent exacerbations over the previous year. The central hypothesis for this proposal is that PAF and IgG2 allotype can predict a COPD subgroup with increased ECOPD risk. To investigate this hypothesis, PAF and IgG2 allotype will be measured in blood samples previously collected from the multicenter SPIROMICS cohort. Aim 1 of this proposal will determine whether low baseline PAF predicts risk of future ECOPD. The objective of Aim 2 is to determine whether low PAF predicts a chronic bronchitis COPD phenotype with neutrophilia and airway-dominant imaging. Reference levels for PAF will be established using results from a non-COPD cohort, then used to identify a PAF-deficient COPD subgroup. We will determine whether PAF deficiency is associated the above phenotypes. Aim 3 will investigate whether the IgG2 allotype associated with low PAF is more common among frequent exacerbators, versus non-exacerbating COPD and non-COPD controls. The results of this study could identify novel COPD subgroups and risk factors for exacerbations. Findings from this study may also promote the development of individualized therapeutic approaches tailored to those with low antibody function. The proposed research and career development plans are made possible through the mentorship of Dr. Moon Nahm, an international expert in pneumococcal immune responses, and Dr. Mark Dransfield, a leader in clinical and translational COPD research. The proposal also includes training in laboratory techniques, biostatistics, clinical and translational research, microbiology, and immunology, in order to foster an independent research career with a focus on immune dysfunction in COPD.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $161,624 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH STREET	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Lung Diseases Research	000	5	3/6/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$161,624
														Subtotal = $161,624

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $161,585 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH STREET	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Lung Diseases Research	000	4	12/6/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$161,585
														Subtotal = $161,585

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $161,261 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH STREET	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Lung Diseases Research	000	3	12/27/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$161,261
														Subtotal = $161,261

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $159,641 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH ST	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Lung Diseases Research	000	2	12/16/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$159,641
														Subtotal = $159,641

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $159,641 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH ST	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Lung Diseases Research	000	1	12/22/2021	NEW	$159,641
														Subtotal = $159,641

Grand Total All Awards = $803,752

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Impaired Pneumococcal Antibody Function and Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Award Number: K08HL157651

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, & BLOOD INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2026

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer