# Targeting mTOR regulation of T-lymphocytes and fibroblasts in Laryngotracheal Stenosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $725,028

## Abstract

Dr. Alexander Hillel is a faculty member in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck
Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where his clinical practice is dedicated to the
medical and surgical management of laryngotracheal stenosis. With the support of a R01
Research Project Grant, he seeks to better understand mechanisms of laryngotracheal stenosis
(LTS) and apply regenerative medicine techniques to its treatment. Specifically, Dr. Hillel will be
focusing on the mTOR mechanism and targeted inhibition of mTOR as a novel approach to
treating LTS in vitro on human LTS-scar fibroblasts and in vivo in a validated mouse model of
LTS. This proposal will study the mechanism of how mTOR suppression works on the
pathologic T-cell and fibroblast subsets that are critical to the development of iLTS. It also will
study how the dysregulated T-cell subsets interact with healthy and diseased fibroblasts to
understand the pathogenesis of this devastating disease. Finally, the proposal will test a novel
drug eluting stent to deliver mTOR suppression directly to the site of disease in the larynx and
trachea to target diseased T-cells and fibroblasts without side effects of systemic mTOR
inhibition. Through a combination of in vitro and in vivo modeling, participation from patients with
iLTS, and a novel biomaterials approach, the investigator team is uniquely poised to transform
our understanding and treatment of LTS. Preclinical validation of mTOR inhibition as a
treatment for LTS is a critical step prior to translation to human studies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10149282
- **Project number:** 5R01DC018567-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Alexander Hillel
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $725,028
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10149282

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10149282, Targeting mTOR regulation of T-lymphocytes and fibroblasts in Laryngotracheal Stenosis (5R01DC018567-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10149282. Licensed CC0.

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