A new study will investigate whether levels of the lung protein CC16 in childhood can predict risk of early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease later in life.
Stefano Guerra, MD, PhD, will lead a new study that will analyze blood samples to identify a biomarker that could indicate an increased risk of contracting adult chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (Image: The University of Arizona)
Could a single childhood protein level reveal who is destined for lung disease as an adult? University of Arizona researchers are seeking the answer, backed by a new $3.8 million National Institutes of Health grant to investigate whether low levels of a lung protein called CC16 can predict who will develop early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease decades before symptoms appear.
Stefano Guerra, MD, PhD, director of population science at the U of A Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center and the Henry E. Dahlberg Chair in Pulmonary Medicine at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, is leading the five-year study that is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“If we can pinpoint children at risk for early COPD, we might be able to intervene while they’re still young and push them onto a healthier lung growth path,” Guerra said. “The long-term hope is to prevent lung disease before it ever develops.”
COPD, a progressive lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is traditionally associated with an accelerated decline of lung function through adulthood due to smoking or environmental exposures. But recent research, including Guerra’s, has revealed a second pathway: nearly half of COPD cases arise not because of rapid decline, but because individuals never reach normal peak lung function in young adulthood.
This alternative path, or “low-flyer” trajectory, means a person’s lungs start off smaller or weaker and remain vulnerable throughout life. Identifying people on this path early could open doors for preventive strategies long before disease strikes.
The new project, “CC16 in Childhood and Resilience to Early Airflow Limitation in Adult Life,” will analyze blood samples for CC16 levels from diverse population studies in North America and Europe, including the Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study in Arizona. Researchers will also gather airway samples, such as nasal swabs or sputum, to explore genetic and molecular markers.
CC16, short for club cell secretory protein, is produced by specialized cells that line the airways in the lungs. It acts as a natural shield, helping calm inflammation and protect delicate lung tissue from irritants, infections and environmental pollutants. Researchers believe that low levels of CC16 during childhood may leave the lungs more vulnerable to damage, setting the stage for chronic diseases such as COPD later in life.
“The goal is to go back in time to childhood, measure CC16 levels between ages 4 and 16, and then follow what happened to lung function in the same individuals as they reach their 20s, 30s and beyond,” said Guerra,
This study builds on previous research by Guerra and his research team that established CC16 as a potential biomarker for persistent asthma. That study found that children with low CC16 levels faced significantly higher risks of ongoing asthma symptoms into adulthood.
The current grant shifts the focus toward COPD, extending those findings into the realm of early lung function deficits and lifelong disease risk.
“Our nearly 20 years of research has shown that CC16 is consistently associated with better lung health,” said Guerra, who is also a member of the BIO5 Institute. “Now we’re trying to use that information not just to predict disease but to change the course of it.”
The project’s co-investigators include Julie Ledford, PhD, an associate professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson, Brian Hallmark, PhD, assistant research professor at the BIO5 Institute and Tara Carr, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the Adult Allergy Program in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson, and member of the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center.
The research is supported in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, under award no. R01AI135108.
Experts
Stefano Guerra, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, College of Medicine – Tucson
The Henry E. Dahlberg Chair in Asthma Research, College of Medicine – Tucson
Director, Population Science, Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
Professor, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
Member, BIO5 Institute
By Blair Willis, U of A Health Sciences
SOURCE: https://research.arizona.edu/news/38m-nih-grant-will-fund-research-potential-early-copd-biomarker