Prior Funding

Obese asthmatics have increased asthma severity and suboptimal response to conventional asthma management, likely due to a non-allergic pattern of T cell inflammation that differs from allergic inflammation found in normal-weight asthmatics. Preliminary studies in our lab suggest that obesity-related metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, may play a role in the molecular mechanisms associated with non-allergic inflammation found among obese asthmatics. Our proposed studies will investigate T cell gene expression, its epigenetic determinants, and their association with metabolic abnormalities to identify key molecules and their associated pathways specific to inflammation observed in obesity-associated asthma. While key molecules and pathways will identify novel targets for therapeutic interventions and improve our understanding of mechanisms linked to obesity-associated asthma, the relationships identified with metabolic abnormalities may be used to screen high-risk individuals.