# The impact of Aspergillus species in cystic fibrosis

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $192,606

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 This proposal is a five-year career development plan strategically formulated to train the candidate by way
of mentoring, course-work and didactic activities, and hands-on conduct of research to become an
independent investigator with a scientific focus on clinical outcomes related to fungal infections in cystic fibrosis
(CF). The project will be carried out under the mentorship of Steven Kawut, MD, MS, a tenured Professor of
Medicine and Epidemiology. He has a strong track record of successfully mentoring fellows and junior faculty
and holds a K24 to support his mentoring activities. An advisory committee has been assembled to oversee
the scientific progress, career development, and academic evolution of the candidate.
 The proposed research will investigate the risk factors for Aspergillus species (spp) isolation, the most
common filamentous fungi observed in CF, and address the critical knowledge gaps regarding the independent
impact of Aspergillus isolation on quality-of-life and treatment effects of antifungal therapies in individuals with
CF. We plan to achieve this by focusing on three objectives. We will conduct a prospective cohort study of
children and adults with CF from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of
Pennsylvania (Penn) and perform selective fungal culture and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing of
respiratory samples. We aim to (1) identify modifiable risk factors for Aspergillus spp isolation in CF sputum
and (2) determine the impact of Aspergillus spp isolation on respiratory related quality of life (measured by the
Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-revised) and pulmonary exacerbations, adjusting for potential confounders, such
as age, sex, pancreatic insufficiency, lung function, and co-infection. (3) In a retrospective multicenter cohort of
CF patients in the United States, we will conduct a comparative effectiveness study of antifungal therapy
compared to usual care (no antifungal therapy) on reducing pulmonary exacerbations utilizing propensity-score
methods to account for potential cofounders, including age, sex, genotype, bacterial co-infection, and disease
severity.
 Collectively, these three aims will provide insight to the factors contributing to development of Aspergillus
spp in CF and elucidate the impact of Aspergillus spp on CF lung health. Furthermore, if we find a treatment
effect of antifungal therapy, these data will serve as critical preliminary data to devise a clinical trial of targeted
antifungal therapy in CF patients with Aspergillus.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9919620
- **Project number:** 5K23HL146970-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Gina Hong
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $192,606
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9919620

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9919620, The impact of Aspergillus species in cystic fibrosis (5K23HL146970-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9919620. Licensed CC0.

---

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