# Identifying Asthma-causing RSV Strains and Elucidating the Mechanisms of RSV-mediated Asthma Development

> **NIH NIH U19** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · $164,815

## Abstract

Abstract 
PROJECT 1: Identifying Asthma-causing RSV Strains and Elucidating the Mechanisms of RSV- 
mediated Asthma Development 
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection during infancy represents a common risk 
factor that is strongly and consistently associated with asthma. It also represents an asthma risk factor with the 
strongest body of evidence establishing a causal relationship. In the first funding cycle we have been the first 
group to ever sequence and identify RSV strains associated with significantly increased risk of recurrent 
wheezing outcomes, as well as differential immune response and airway microbial patterns. This proposal 
addresses the next logical series of questions: (1) are these RSV strains associated with later childhood 
asthma development, and (2) can we better understand the mechanisms of RSV-mediated asthma 
development by assessing the host response to these strains in vivo and in vitro? To test our hypotheses that 
there are RSV strains associated with enhanced risk of asthma development, and they act through 
eliciting differential acute response to infant infection, altering airway and immune development, and 
early life microbial patterns, we propose to extend longitudinal follow-up of the 1900 children enrolled in the 
established INSPIRE birth cohort who will be four at the end of the first U19 funding period. This will enable us 
to confirm if the RSV strains that we have identified to cause more severe infant morbidity and early wheezing 
outcomes are also associated with asthma, and the pathways through which these RSV strains cause asthma. 
We propose the following: (1) Identify RSV strains associated with asthma inception at ages 6 to 8 years; (2) 
Determine how RSV strains impact the host microbial environment during primary RSV infection; (3) Assess 
primary airway epithelial cell (AEC) response to asthma-causing RSV strains; (4) Determine RSV induced 
immune responses associated with asthma inception in the INSPIRE cohort. Ultimately this information may 
inform the design and development of a vaccine that prevents “asthmagenic” RSV strains from predisposing to 
asthma development. The leadership team has worked in this area for 15 years, have an in-place 
infrastructure, established collaborations and ongoing cohort with detailed phenotyping and rich biospecimen 
repository making us well positioned to successfully carry out this novel and impactful study.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10301922
- **Project number:** 3U19AI095227-11S2
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Tina V Hartert
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $164,815
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-12-14 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10301922

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10301922, Identifying Asthma-causing RSV Strains and Elucidating the Mechanisms of RSV-mediated Asthma Development (3U19AI095227-11S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10301922. Licensed CC0.

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