(MAIA) Microglial Activation in Asthma

The PI of this project was:

This project was funded by: NIH

The term of this project was: September 2020 to March 2021

The number of subjects scanned during this project was: 30

This study will investigate if a provocation of airway inflammation in asthma activates microglia. The study team will provoke airway inflammation using an allergen challenge, which serves as a surrogate for increased airway inflammation in asthma. This procedure has been performed hundreds of times, and its safety has been demonstrated. Further, despite widespread use of this procedure in asthma research, there are no reported cases of cognitive effects of allergen challenge in the literature, even after daily repeats. Activation of microglia will be measured using Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PET/MR) with the radiotracer [18F]FEPPA, a tracer selective for translocator protein (TSPO) binding, which is elevated in activated microglia. Similar experimental designs have been used safely with other types of peripheral inflammatory provocations. This proposal has been reviewed scientifically by NIH program staff.