# Systems Biology of Airway Disease

> **NIH NIH P01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $2,616,894

## Abstract

SYSTEMS BIOLOGY OF AIRWAYS DISEASE – PROGRAM PROJECT
PROGRAM PROJECT ABSTRACT
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are the most common chronic diseases of the
lung. Asthma affects 17 million U.S. children and adults and remains a major cause of morbidity (one-half
million hospitalizations a year), and is the most common cause of school and work days lost. Fifteen million
U.S. adults carry a diagnosis of COPD; it is estimated that 12 million more people have airflow obstruction but
are undiagnosed. Asthma results in an estimated yearly asthma-related cost of over $12.7 billion. COPD is the
third leading cause of mortality in the U.S. with an estimated annual cost of $49.9 billion. The combined health
care costs for these conditions approximate $63 billion per year. Systems biology with integrative genetic,
genomic and epigenomic approaches to elucidate the molecular causes of these diseases offer the
promise of providing new avenues for their prediction, prevention and more effective treatment, thus,
ultimately reducing health care costs. We continue to seek to find common genomic determinants for
asthma and COPD relevant to human disease and assess their functional effects in human cellular
models. Our research strategy is to integrate genetic data (Project 1) with transcriptomic data (Project
2) and methylation/microRNA data (Project 3) using systems genomics approaches that exploit
epistatic interaction both within and between the projects and genome elements and, thus, focuses on
the functionally most relevant pathways and network submodules for molecular validation and ultimate
disease insights. In this effort, we leverage major advances in human genetics such as the HapMap Project,
the ENCODE Project and the Human Epigenome Project that provide the basic understanding of genome
complexity that informs our overall specific aims: (1) to integrate genetic (SNP), gene expression (transcript)
and epigenetic (methylation) data for asthma, COPD and reduced lung function in these disorders; (2) to model
the epistatic interactions within and between these genomic data sources to define critical network submodules
for the overlap of asthma, COPD and reduced lung function; and (3) to functionally validate these network
submodules identified in Aim 2 at the molecular level. To accomplish these aims we have assembled an
accomplished group of investigators who have worked together for over 15 years and are experts in human
genetics, gene expression and integrative genomics, epigenetics, systems biology, genomic statistics and
bioinformatics and functional genomics. This group of investigators has published over 500 peer-reviewed
original manuscripts since 2007 and 123 published scientific reports (with additional manuscripts either under
development, under revision or awaiting decisions) directly related to the topic of the present application.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9982395
- **Project number:** 5P01HL132825-05
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** SCOTT T WEISS
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,616,894
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9982395

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9982395, Systems Biology of Airway Disease (5P01HL132825-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9982395. Licensed CC0.

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