Wisconsin Researcher Awarded $100K American Lung Association Grant to Study Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

The American Lung Association Research Institute has awarded $13.6 million in research grants to fund 129 innovative projects to advance science to end lung disease, including a project from Wisconsin. Jasmine Dowell, MD from The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. was awarded the Catalyst Award. She receives $50,000 with her award which is renewable for an additional year for a total of $100,000.

Lung research is critical because 744,000 in Wisconsin are living with lung disease and each year, millions of people are impacted by respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and influenza. Through the Awards and Grants Program, the Lung Association supports trailblazing research, novel ideas, and innovative approaches. The funded researchers investigate a wide range of lung health topics, including asthma, COPD, lung cancer infectious lung diseases and more.

“We are honored to welcome Dr. Jasmine Dowell to the elite American Lung Association Research Institute and our efforts to fundamentally transform lung health here in Wisconsin and across the nation,” said Megan Cordova, executive director at the Lung Association. “Our research investment is key to unlocking solutions to alleviate the burden of lung disease. The Lung Association’s Awards and Grants Program promotes innovative research, collaboration, translation of discoveries, and scientific exchange to transform today’s science into tomorrow’s solutions. Because when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.”

Dr. Dowell’s project aims to determine how oxygen disrupts proteins in the lung that control airway resistance in children and determine if these proteins are promising targets for future BPD research and treatments.

"I am honored and grateful for the American Lung Association's investment in my work on how the pediatric lung disease Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia develops in babies born prematurely who require oxygen therapy at birth. My research studies how oxygen changes the structure and function of lung and airway cells in rats in ways that restrict airflow into the lungs,” said Dr. Dowell. “The knowledge we gain will help us better understand why babies with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia have trouble breathing throughout their lives and may even identify promising treatments for this vulnerable group of children. ALA support of this work is incredibly meaningful to me, both as an early career scientist from an underrepresented background and as a pediatrician who is passionate about helping children live happy and healthy lives."

This year, awards were given in different categories addressing many aspects of lung disease; ALA/AAAAI Allergic Respiratory Diseases Award, ALA/ATS/CHEST Foundation Respiratory Health Equity Research Award, Catalyst Award, COVID-19 Respiratory Virus Research Award, Dalsemer Award, Innovation Award and Lung Cancer Discovery Award. Research projects funded by the Lung Association are carefully selected through rigorous scientific peer review and awardees investigate a wide range of complex issues.

The Lung Association’s Research Institute includes the Awards and Grants program, and also the Airways Clinical Research Network, the nation's largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma and COPD treatment research. The Lung Association is currently accepting applications for its 2024-2025 research awards and grants cycle. For more information about the active research funding opportunities, visit Lung.org/awards.

For more information about the new grant awardees and the entire American Lung Association Research Team, visit Lung.org/research-team.

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