# Clinical prediction and epigenetic regulation of asthma and rhinitis

> **NIH NIH K23** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2022 · $194,841

## Abstract

Asthma and rhinitis share a strong genetic component and are the most common chronic respiratory diseases
worldwide affecting 339 million and 500 million people, respectively. Both allergic and non-allergic rhinitis are
well-studied risk factors for the development of asthma, independent of atopy and IgE sensitization, and up to
80% of asthmatics have concomitant rhinitis. Conversely, asthma is also a risk factor for the development of
rhinitis suggesting a common pathophysiological link between the upper and lower airways. Individuals with
comorbid asthma and rhinitis are more likely to experience frequent and severe asthma exacerbations.
Currently, an unmet need exists in the understanding of the comorbid development of asthma and rhinitis,
including which patients are at risk and why patients with comorbid disease have increased disease severity.
microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important predictive biomarkers and regulators of the pathogenesis of
asthma and rhinitis. However, the role of miRNA-messenger RNA (mRNA) regulatory networks in asthma with
comorbid rhinitis is not known. The overall hypothesis of this K23 award proposal is that the comorbid
development of asthma and rhinitis can be predicted by clinical factors and is regulated by miRNA-mRNA
networks. Specific Aim 1 will evaluate the early childhood clinical prediction of the development of comorbid
disease in the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART) and Children, Allergy, Milieu,
Stockholm, Epidemiology (BAMSE) cohorts and create a validated clinical prognostic tool to identify high-risk
children who may benefit from early monitoring and interventions. Specific Aim 2 will identify the unique
miRNA-mRNA pathways and regulatory networks in the peripheral blood that regulate asthma with comorbid
rhinitis in children from the VDAART, BAMSE, and Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP) cohorts
to identify candidate miRNAs and biological pathways that may serve as future targets of miRNA-based
therapies and biomarkers. Specific Aim 3 will prospectively validate the miRNA-mRNA signature of asthma
with comorbid rhinitis across the peripheral whole blood and local nasal epithelium in subjects recruited from
Brigham and Women’s Hospital to identify the shared and tissue-specific pathogenic pathways in the
peripheral blood and local primary airway tissue. Through this K23 award proposal, the candidate will
complete an integrated plan of mentorship, coursework, conferences, patient-oriented research, statistical and
computational analyses, manuscript submissions, and R01 grant preparation. She will develop new knowledge
and skills in clinical, translational, and computational research and generate new hypotheses and data that will
provide the basis for future independent lines of investigation. With the support of her division, mentors, and
scientific advisory committee and the resources available at her institution, the candidate is ideally positioned
to achieve her goal of ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10338147
- **Project number:** 5K23HL151819-02
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Alberta L. Wang
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $194,841
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-02-10 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10338147

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10338147, Clinical prediction and epigenetic regulation of asthma and rhinitis (5K23HL151819-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10338147. Licensed CC0.

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