# Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings Clinical Research Network - Leadership Center

> **NIH NIH UM1** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2021 · $6,952,703

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The overall goals of our Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings (CAUSE)-Leadership Center proposal are to
provide administrative leadership and support to develop and conduct collaborative research to address high
priority unmet needs for childhood asthma in urban communities, including: a) developing strategies to prevent
asthma, b) improving treatment and inhibiting progression, c) reducing severe exacerbations, and d) defining
endotypes of respiratory health and disease. Four hypotheses are proposed to accomplish these goals. First,
supplementation with immune modulating bacteria in infancy will prevent the early life perturbations in the gut
microbiome that have been associated with risk for the development of allergic sensitization and asthma, and
will promote airway mucosal immune development. Second, given the importance of cockroach (CR) allergy
and exposure to asthma morbidity in urban children, CR immunotherapy will improve asthma control and
reduce disease progression. Third, we propose that transcriptional analysis of airway cells will define T2-low
mechanisms that contribute to both non-atopic and atopic asthma and provide new insights into treatment.
Finally, multi-omics evaluation of airway cells and secretions obtained during severe exacerbations leading to
ED visits and hospitalizations will reveal novel mechanistic pathways to inform improved treatment and
prevention. We propose five protocols to test these hypotheses:
 1. Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma study (URECA)
 2. Effects of a Microbial Supplement (STMC-103H) on Microbial Colonization and Immune Development
 3. Cockroach (CR) Immunotherapy (IT) in Urban Children with Moderate-Severe Asthma Protected by
Omalizumab
 4. Pathogenesis and Mechanisms of T2-low (Non-Atopic) Asthma
 5. Severe Asthma Exacerbations in the Emergency Department (ED) and Hospital: Identifying Targets for
 Prevention and Treatment
It is our expectation that our proposed CAUSE research program will provide critical information needed to
recognize asthma phenotypes and endotypes in urban children, improve treatment of asthma and establish
direction for prevention. Collectively, these studies will continue the rigorous programmatic approach of the
NIAID Asthma Networks towards achieving the long-term goals of disease modification and prevention of
disease in high-risk children of low-income families living in urban communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10209602
- **Project number:** 1UM1AI160040-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** James E. Gern
- **Activity code:** UM1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $6,952,703
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-12 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10209602

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10209602, Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings Clinical Research Network - Leadership Center (1UM1AI160040-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10209602. Licensed CC0.

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