The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) https://www.niaid.gov within NIH has awarded $10 million in first year funding with about $70 million to be provided over seven years.
The funding will establish a clinical research network called Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings (CAUSE). This nationwide network will conduct observational studies and clinical trials to improve understanding of asthma and then develop treatment and prevention approaches tailored to children of low income families living in urban communities.
The Cause Network is being led by the leadership center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and will have seven clinical research centers to include Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s National Research Institute (Washington D.C), Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Columbia University Health Sciences N.Y, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and the University of Colorado, Denver.
CAUSE investigators will work together to improve understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to asthma development and severity. The next step is to develop new strategies to mitigate the impact of the disease in populations of disadvantaged children and adolescents. In addition, CAUSE clinical research centers will conduct locally relevant clinical and translational studies.