# CC16 in Childhood and Resilience to Persistent Asthma into Adult Life

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2020 · $89,002

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Persistence of childhood asthma into adult life has been conclusively linked to long-term lung function deficits
and an increased susceptibility to non-fully reversible airflow limitation, the hallmark of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. Yet, at the present time there are neither established prediction models nor available
biomarkers for early risk identification of long-term sequelae in childhood asthma. In preliminary studies, we
found early levels of circulating CC16 – a pneumoprotein that is produced mainly by club cells in the distal
airways and can be measured in circulation – to be associated with resilience to subsequent lung function
deficits and persistent asthma. Of note, these effects were independent of known risk factors for persistent
disease. In addition, we found CC16-/- mice to have lung function deficits, airway alterations, and susceptibility
to infections by Mycoplasma pneumoniae as compared with wild-type animals. These findings support CC16 in
early school age as a strong and independent factor for resilience to persistent disease and long-term
sequelae in children with asthma, and suggest that CC16 may exert these effects by modulating susceptibility
and responses to airway infections. The present proposal addresses 1) the identification of early determinants
of circulating CC16 levels by school-age; 2) the value of levels and trajectories of circulating CC16 in childhood
as predictors of persistence and severity of asthma into adult life; and 3) the evaluation of airway responses to
asthma pathogens as a potential mechanism mediating CC16 effects on persistent disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10240935
- **Project number:** 3R01AI135108-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** Stefano Guerra
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $89,002
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-07-06 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10240935

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10240935, CC16 in Childhood and Resilience to Persistent Asthma into Adult Life (3R01AI135108-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10240935. Licensed CC0.

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