# Childhood Asthma: Disease Course and Lung Function Trajectories and Air Pollution Exposure

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2024 · $642,211

## Abstract

Project Summary
Childhood asthma is a major risk factor for lung disease in adulthood, yet what causes some children, but not
others, to have a worse disease course, characterized by persistence of disease and decrements in lung function
growth, is unclear. Although some genetic factors have been linked to lung function trajectories, much of the
variability in disease course remains unexplained, suggesting that environmental factors are likely important in
shaping disease course. Several studies have demonstrated that exposure to higher concentrations of
particulate matter (PM) leads to worse lung function growth, but the effects of specific PM sources and
composition on disease course and lung function growth are largely unknown. Thus, our overarching
hypothesis is that exposure to PM from certain sources and of specific compositions predict persistence of
asthma severity and decrements in lung function growth. To test this hypothesis, we will conduct a prospective
cohort study of 300 multi-ethnic children, the Texas Home Assessment of Asthma and Lung Exposures
(TexHALE) study. We will repeatedly measure lung function, asthma severity, and PM exposure (sources,
composition, and concentrations) and examine associations between: 1) lung function growth; 2) persistence
of disease severity; and 3) biomarkers associated with airway remodeling and lung function decline with
PM exposure (sources, composition, and concentrations).The proposed aims will greatly advance our current
understanding of the natural history of asthma, which is critical for developing interventions that modify the
trajectory of childhood asthma. The proposed work will identify PM sources that are implicated in worse disease
course, providing evidence to extend current air pollution regulation to prioritize targeting certain sources.
Moreover, the findings will lend insight into racial and ethnic disparities in disease course, the potential
contribution of PM exposure to these disparities, and any disparate effects of PM exposure among racial and
ethnic minority populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10800243
- **Project number:** 1R01ES035131-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth C. Matsui
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $642,211
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-02-01 → 2028-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10800243

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10800243, Childhood Asthma: Disease Course and Lung Function Trajectories and Air Pollution Exposure (1R01ES035131-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10800243. Licensed CC0.

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