Theranostic Approach to Asthma Using Anti-Angiogenic Nanomedicine

描述（由申请人提供）：哮喘是一种慢性炎症性肺部疾病，估计影响2300万美国人（1600万成年人），其中1200万人每年至少经历一次哮喘发作。哮喘症状给医疗保健系统造成了巨大的经济负担（2008年为180亿美元），并对患者的生活质量产生了巨大影响。哮喘的特点是气道炎症和水肿。近年来，长期以来公认的气道壁微血管密度的增加和血容量的扩大被认为对肺功能有重要贡献。该项目结合了肺血管生成生理学博士Elizabeth Wagner教授和医学博士Gregory M. Lanza教授的专业知识，后者的基于纳米医学的分子成像和治疗是众所周知的，特别是在癌症和动脉粥样硬化的血管生成方面。该建议的总体假设是使用纳米医学方法无创地表征支气管血管生成（新血管形成），提供急性抗血管生成治疗以减少气道重塑和改善肺功能，并通过标准护理低剂量类固醇维持这种新治疗的急性益处。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that affects an estimated 23 million Americans (16 million adults), 12 million of whom experience at least one asthma attack annually. The symptoms of asthma cause significant economic burden on the healthcare systems ($18B in 2008) as well as dramatic impact on the quality of patients' lives. Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and edema. Recently, the long recognized increase in airway wall microvessel density and expanded blood volume have been suggested to contribute significantly to lung function. This project combines the recognized expertise of Professor Elizabeth Wagner, PhD (PI) in pulmonary angiogenesis physiology and Professor Gregory M. Lanza, MD PhD (PD/PI), whose nanomedicine-based molecular imaging and therapy is well known, particularly in the context of angiogenesis in cancer and atherosclerosis. The overarching hypotheses of this proposal are to use nanomedicine approach to noninvasively characterize bronchial angiogenesis (new vessel formation), to deliver acute antiangiogenic therapy to reduce airway remodeling and improve pulmonary function, and to maintain the acute benefits of this new treatment with standard-of-care low dose steroids.