# Creatine Kinase in the Natural History of Asthma

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2024 · $231,626

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
In a recent multi-cohort discovery study, we reported for the first time that serum levels and whole blood gene
expression of creatine kinase (CK) are decreased in childhood asthma. CK is an enzyme that – by catalyzing
the reversible reaction of creatine and ATP to phosphocreatine and ADP – plays a vital role in cellular energy
homeostasis and buffering. Further, in preliminary studies on a subset of participants with asthma from the
TCRS birth cohort we observed that, among 6-years old children with asthma, those with high circulating levels
of CK had a striking 80% reduction in their risk of persistent disease into adult life.
These results, together with those from experimental studies that we have completed, indicate that CK may
play a protective role in asthma. However, multiple elements of this association remain to be elucidated and
this R21 application will use observational data from multiple cohorts to address two critical questions. First,
although our preliminary data indicate that, among school-age children with asthma, high levels of circulating
CK may confer protection against persistence of disease, these studies are based on a single cohort, a single
CK measurement, and a small number of asthmatics and require validation in a larger consortium. Second, it
remains unknown whether, in addition to circulation, CK deficits are also present in the airways of individuals
with asthma, a question of critical importance because of the role of CK in sustaining the ciliary beat and, in
turn, enhancing the first defensive mechanism of the lungs.
This R21 application seeks to overcome these knowledge gaps through the following specific aims:
Specific aim 1: To determine whether circulating levels of CK predict persistence of childhood asthma
into adult life in multiple population-based cohorts.
Specific aim 2: To characterize and compare CK gene expression in airway epithelial cells from
individuals with and without asthma.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10870847
- **Project number:** 1R21AI183264-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** Stefano Guerra
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $231,626
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-13 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10870847

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10870847, Creatine Kinase in the Natural History of Asthma (1R21AI183264-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10870847. Licensed CC0.

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