# Obesity and Childhood Asthma: The Role of Adipose Tissue

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $614,070

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Both childhood asthma and obesity are major public health problems. There is strong evidence of an association
between both diseases; obese children with asthma have increased asthma severity, poor control, and reduced
medication response. Yet, to date, the underpinning mechanisms are not well understood. Our central hypothesis
is that the obese asthma is driven by changes in the epigenetic regulation and transcriptomic activity within
adipose tissue. To test this hypothesis, we will recruit a cohort of children with asthma, obesity, both, or controls,
in whom we will perform extensive phenotyping, and obtain subcutaneous and intra-abdominal adipose tissue.
In addition to BMI, we will assess other indices of adiposity and body composition measured by anthropometry
and impedance analysis. In Specific Aim 1, we will assess the transcriptomic and epigenetic changes in adipose
tissue (using RNA-seq and genome-wide DNA methylation, respectively) associated with obesity and asthma in
this cohort, after adjustment for relevant covariates. Secondary measures will include body composition and
adiposity distribution, and atopy and inflammatory biomarkers. We will then integrate genome-wide genotyping,
DNA methylation, and RNA-seq data via mQTL, eQTL, and eQTM analyses. In Specific Aim 2, we will use the
same approach to evaluate measures of asthma severity and control in children with obesity and asthma. We
will focus on acute exacerbations, Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores, and lung function changes. And in Specific
Aim 3, we will conduct an initial functional/causal validation by assessing differential gene expression in normal
and asthmatic bronchial epithelial and airway smooth muscle cells, in response to treatment with the products of
the top genes identified in Aims 1-2, as well as other candidate genes for obese asthma from the literature. This
proposal innovates by focusing on the “source” tissue of obese asthma, rather than using blood biomarkers or
mediators, and by validating the effect of the top results on the “target” tissues. Elucidating adipose tissue
pathways associated with obese asthma will have critical implications for our understanding of this phenotype
and may allow us to identify ways to improve the management of these patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10378481
- **Project number:** 5R01HL149693-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Erick Forno
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $614,070
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10378481

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10378481, Obesity and Childhood Asthma: The Role of Adipose Tissue (5R01HL149693-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10378481. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*