# Decoding the Cellular Niches Critical for Lung Maturation and Pathogenesis

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2021 · $20,334

## Abstract

Project Summary:
The human lung is composed of a ramifying network of airways and blood vessels that connect
millions of alveoli to the aerosol environment. Weaved into this vast organ are exquisite regional
differences in the form of cellular niches best defined at single-cell resolution. Emerging
evidence led to growing appreciation that seamless collaboration between these specialized
niches are fundamental for lung function. Guided by the scientific premise that these niches are
often sites of pathogenesis, we propose to map them in normal and disease lung at the single-
cell resolution. This goal is directly responsive to the mission of LungMap Phase 2 to “extend to
more specific and rare cell types.” Novel insights from previous studies have led us to focus on
key niches of pathogenesis, including the lung/neural/immune niche at airway branch points, the
pneumocyte/fibroblast/capillary/macrophage niche of the alveoli, the endothelium/smooth
muscle niche of the pulmonary and bronchial vasculature. Michael Valdez, the applicant for this
supplement, will be providing additional temporal dynamic analysis for the data we have
generated from the parent grant.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10310823
- **Project number:** 3U01HL148867-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Xin Sun
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $20,334
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-08-19 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10310823

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10310823, Decoding the Cellular Niches Critical for Lung Maturation and Pathogenesis (3U01HL148867-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10310823. Licensed CC0.

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