[RIBT Roster]

The Respiratory Integrative Biology and Translational Research [RIBT] Study Section reviews grant applications that deal with integrative aspects of the respiratory system and clinical studies.  Thus, the fundamental emphasis of this study section concerns the integration of knowledge gained from investigations at the cellular and molecular level to higher levels of biological organization, including physiological genomics and translation into clinical application.  Studies appropriate for review may involve research utilizing molecular and cellular methods, normal and genetically modified animal models, human subjects and mathematical modeling.  Central areas of study are: 1) respiratory control processes; 2) integrated respiratory responses; 3) respiratory biophysics, biomechanics and transport; 4) translational and clinical studies, including physiological genomics; and 5) studies of normal and abnormal pulmonary vascular physiology (including endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell biology) will be reviewed by RIBT.  In each area, investigations concerning the impact of development and aging, genetics and sex/gender differences are appropriate. 

Specific areas covered by RIBT:

• Respiratory system control processes including:
  • Respiratory neurobiology and the control of breathing including topics such as sensory receptors, central neural processes, neuromuscular transmission, neuroplasticity, endocrine influences and respiratory control disorders and compensatory mechanisms (e.g. SIDS and hyperventilation disorders). Additional topics of interest include autonomic control of the airways and pulmonary circulation as well as respiratory sensation.
  • Studies on the development of respiratory control mechanisms, lung mechanics or gas exchange, and the development of neural control of pulmonary circulation.
    
    
• Integrated respiratory function, including:
  • Hypoxia (intermittent and sustained hypoxia, gene expression and cell signaling, altitude responses, hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, hypertension and angiogenesis), respiratory responses to exercise, hypercapnia and acid/base disturbances.
  • Respiratory responses to environmental irritants and allergens, and cardio-respiratory interactions (control, mechanics and gas exchange)
  • Sleep/wakefulness and sleep disordered breathing, as it involves neural control of respiratory rhythm generation, upper airway control and mechanics, the diaphragm, and the pathophysiology and consequences of sleep disordered breathing. 
• Biophysics, biomechanics and transport including:
  • Respiratory muscle function including:  mechanical function of the respiratory muscles and the chest wall during health and disease.
  • Pulmonary gas exchange, regional distributions of perfusion and ventilation, and ventilation-perfusion relationships
  • Biomechanics and biophysics of lung cells, the lung, airways or chest wall, as well as particle deposition in the airways
• Pulmonary vascular biology and disease including:
  • Control of pulmonary circulation.
  • Pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thrombo-embolic disease, veno-occlusive disease, vasculitides, and primary pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.
  • Normal and abnormal endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell biology and mechanisms of vasoreactivity.
  • Pulmonary vascular injury caused by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and by hypoxia.
  • Inflammation of the pulmonary vasculature.
  • Pulmonary edema and lung fluid balance caused primarily by pulmonary vascular injury.
  • Effects of blood components such as coagulation factors and complement
• Translational, genomic and clinical studies:
  • Genetics of respiratory diseases, including integrated physiological consequences of gene mapping, expression and function, gene-phenotype and gene-environment interactions in humans and animal models.
  • Human studies associated with mechanisms, consequences and prevention of disease, as well as therapeutic interventions, assessment of genetic/environmental risk factors including population genetic studies, and outcomes assessment. Interventions may include Phase 1, Phase 2 and single site Phase 3 clinical trials.  Large multi-site clinical trials are not generally appropriate for review in this study section, nor would large scale, epidemiological studies. Relevant diseases include all forms of lung and airway disease (e.g. asthma, COPD, infectious diseases), neural diseases associated with respiratory control (e.g. SIDS, sleep disordered breathing, neuromuscular disease or injury with respiratory insufficiency), and other respiratory diseases.

RIBT has the following shared interests within the RES IRG:

• With Lung Cellular, Molecular and Immunobiology [LCMI]:  Applications emphasizing genetic, molecular and cellular basis of normal lung biology and alterations induced by inflammatory and immune disorders would typically be assigned to LCMI.  RIBT would be assigned applications emphasizing effector outcomes, integrated responses and mechanisms of integrated response.
  
  
• With Lung Injury, Repair and Remodeling [LIRR]:  Applications focusing on mechanisms of lung injury and repair at multiple levels of biological organization would be assigned to LIRR. RIBT shares interests with respect to the scope of investigations (molecular through whole animal), but differs from LIRR with respect to the specific topics considered. For example, RIBT may be assigned applications focusing more on physiological processes (control, biomechanics and transport) and integrated responses to injury, as well as translational studies. LIRR would be assigned applications focusing more on detailed cellular and molecular mechanisms of injury.  Studies involving lung injury, including those resulting in pulmonary edema or lung fluid imbalance, would be reviewed by LIRR if the primary focus is on non-vascular tissue or cells, while studies focusing on vascular tissue or cells would be more appropriate for RIBT.  Included in this rubric would be studies involving coagulation factors and complement.
  
  
• With Lung Cellular, Molecular and Immunobiology [LCMI] and Lung Injury, Repair and Remodeling [LIRR]:  RIBT has shared interest with both LCMI and LIRR in their consideration of lung development.   The control and integrated aspects of lung development are most appropriate for consideration by RIBT.  More cellular and molecular studies pertaining to lung immunology or inflammation (LCMI) or responses to lung injury (LIRR), when not primarily pulmonary vascular in nature, would be more appropriate for assignment to the other two study sections in the IRG.  Development of respiratory control mechanisms, lung mechanics or gas exchange is appropriate for assignment to RIBT. Mediator/cytokine studies may also be assigned to the three study sections in the IRG based on their disease focus.

RIBT has the following shared interests outside the RES IRG:

• With the Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics [BCMB] IRG:  RIBT generally reviews application dealing with the biophysics of lung tissue, gasses and fluids whereas the BCMB IRG has a specific focus on the biophysics of macromolecules and interacting small molecules.  Potential overlap would involve studies of macromolecules in cells of pulmonary origin.  Applications dealing with the biophysics of internal cell structures should be referred to RIBT if the focus is on understanding a pulmonary issue, especially if the approach is at an integrated level (e.g., cytoskeletal structure and cell stiffness in airway smooth muscle).  Studies that are focused on macromolecules in general without a specific link to a pulmonary issue and/or without a focus on integration should be referred to the BCMB IRG.  In general, studies of respiratory system structure and function that use primarily biophysical techniques (e.g., X-ray diffraction, electron spin resonance, and single molecular techniques) could also be assigned to the BCMB IRG.
  
  
• With the Cell Biology [CB] IRG:  RIBT generally reviews applications dealing with integrated respiratory function whereas the CB IRG has a specific focus on the molecular understanding of cell structure and function.  Potential overlap in this area would involve studies of pulmonary, respiratory neural or muscle cell structure and function.  Applications focused on integrative aspects of respiratory cell structure and function (e.g., cytoskeletal structure and cell stiffness in airway smooth muscle) could be assigned to RIBT whereas studies using a pulmonary cell type to uncover more general aspects of molecular and cellular structure and function should be referred to the CB IRG.  RIBT also reviews applications dealing with pulmonary vascular biology and disease, and there may be overlap with the CB IRG with cell structure and function in this area.  In general, such studies in which the respiratory system is the primary focus are to be assigned to RIBT, while studies with a more basic focus could be assigned to the CB IRG.
• With the Genes, Genomes & Genetics [GGG] IRG:   There is shared interest in fundamental genetics, including gene identification (mapping), functional genomics, genetics of basic function and complex diseases, population genetics and genetic epidemiology and the regulation of gene expression.  In general RIBT could be assigned applications focusing on gene identification, mapping and function specific to the respiratory system, including the pulmonary vasculature.  Studies of quantitative genetics, genetic epidemiology and genetic analysis of complex traits, and genetically engineered animals with an emphasis on genetics rather than mechanisms of respiratory function could be assigned to the GGG IRG.  Studies of gene expression in respiratory neurons, and vascular endothelia and smooth muscle may be appropriately assigned to RIBT. Other studies on gene expression in which the respiratory system is not the principal focus could be assigned to the GGG IRG.
• With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG:  Studies on development and aging where the primary focus is on basic and clinical investigations of the respiratory system, as well as interactions between the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems could be assigned to RIBT.  Applications that focus on fundamental and early development events (such as fundamental studies of cell cycle control, apoptosis, cell fate, or early primordial pattern formation) would be assigned to the BDA IRG.  In general, when the question being addressed is germane to the development of more than a single organ system, either because it addresses the "primordial organ" or because of the generality of the process being studied, the application would also be assigned to the BDA IRG.  Studies in which the focus is on aging and where the respiratory system is a secondary or minor component could be assigned to the BDA IRG.
• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG:  Applications that focus on fundamental aspects of bioengineering and technology development would be assigned to the BST IRG, especially in early stages before practical uses are proven. Such topics might include drug delivery, imaging, and mathematical modeling or device development.  Studies on these same topics that are specific to respiratory system structure and function could also be assigned to RIBT.
• With the Health of the Population [HOP] IRG:  Large-scale clinical applications in which the primary outcomes are population studies related to demographics or epidemiology may generally be assigned to the HOP IRG.  Applications on the diseases, disorders, or functional consequences of behaviors associated with the respiratory system could be assigned to RIBT.
• With the Risk, Prevention, and Health Behavior [RPHB] IRG:  Studies of behavior modification directed toward the prevention of pulmonary diseases could be assigned to the RPHB IRG.  Applications involving limited behavioral interventions as just one component of a more comprehensive project relating to pulmonary diseases could be assigned to RIBT.
• With the Immunology [IMM] IRG:  The IMM IRG may be assigned applications concerning the etiology and pathogenesis of organ specific and systemic immune diseases.  RIBT may be assigned applications specifically focused on functional respiratory responses during immune diseases and specific factors or structures relevant to respiratory function, or that are focused on immune responses involved with pulmonary vascular biology and diseases.
• With the Infectious Diseases and Microbiology [IDM] IRG:  The IDM IRG considers applications ranging from basic to clinical studies focused on infectious diseases and microbes.  RIBT could be assigned applications specifically focused on functional consequences of infections on the respiratory system.
• With the Cardiovascular Sciences [CVS] IRG:  There is shared interest in vascular cell biology, including endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. Studies focusing on lung vascular biology could be addressed to RIBT. Other vascular studies in which the respiratory system is not the principal focus could be assigned to the CVS IRG.  In general, the CVS IRG would be assigned applications ranging from basic through clinical studies focused on the heart and systemic vasculature, and on cardiovascular diseases and their treatment.  RIBT could be assigned applications that focus on associated respiratory responses and cardio-respiratory interactions ranging from basic through clinical studies, including studies on the control of pulmonary blood flow.
• With the Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition and Reproductive Sciences [EMNR] IRG:  There is shared interest with areas related to the control and integrated aspects of fetal and neonatal pulmonary physiology and pathophysiology.  (1) Applications that directly relate to pulmonary function (such as gas exchange, lung mechanics, pulmonary surfactant) could be assigned to the RIBT.  Applications dealing with endocrine, metabolic, nutritional, or reproductive effects (pregnancy and fetal and neonatal well-being) on fetal and neonatal pulmonary physiology and pathophysiology could be assigned to the EMNR IRG.  (2) There is shared interest with areas related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) as it relates to neonatal issues.  Applications that directly relate to pulmonary function in SIDS (upper airway and neural control of breathing issues, for instance) could be assigned to RIBT.  Applications dealing with endocrine, metabolic, nutritional, or reproductive effects (pregnancy and neonatal well-being) as they relate to neonatal SIDS could be assigned to the EMNR IRG.
• With the Musculoskeletal, Oral and Skin Sciences [MOSS] IRG:  Studies involving respiratory muscles aimed at examining basic aspects of muscle function (such as cell biology, adaptation, muscle fatigue, and the study of muscular dystrophies) may be assigned to the MOSS IRG.  Applications focused upon the mechanical/ventilatory action of the respiratory muscles, including the ventilatory consequences of muscle disease, could be assigned to the RES IRG.
• With the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging, and Bioengineering [SBIB] IRG:  Applications in a variety of broad areas that are at the interface between physical science or engineering and biomedical or clinical research would be assigned to the SBIB IRG.  These might include topics such as development of molecular probes, computational science and sensing technologies.  Studies on these same topics that are specific to respiratory system structure and function may be assigned to RIBT.
• With Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Neuroscience [MDCN] IRG:  The MDCN IRG reviews applications in a number of areas related to the structure and function of neuronal, glial, and other excitable cells, as well as the development of both the central and the peripheral nervous systems. Specific areas of potential overlap with RIBT are in the area of respiratory neurobiology. In general, when the application deals with fundamental neurobiological principles applied to the respiratory control system, referral to RIBT is appropriate. Specific overlap occurs in the areas of rhythm generation, neurotransmitters, and plasticity. Studies of respiratory rhythm generation, including developmental studies in this area, are most appropriately assigned to RIBT, but could also be assigned to the MDCN IRG when the major emphasis is on basic neural mechanisms of central pattern generators versus respiratory rhythm generation per se. Similarly, studies of neurotransmitters, when in the context of understanding the central control of breathing, are most appropriately assigned to RIBT, but could also be assigned to the MDCN IRG when the major emphasis is on the broader understanding of neurotransmitter function. Finally, studies on respiratory neural plasticity, such as in response to exposure to hypoxia, are most appropriately assigned to RIBT, but could also be assigned to the MDCN IRG when the major emphasis is on broader aspects of neural plasticity.
• With the Integrative, Functional and Cognitive Neuroscience [IFCN] IRG:  The IFCN IRG reviews applications in a number of areas of integrative and regulatory behavioral neurosciences.  Specific areas of potential overlap with RIBT are in the area of respiratory neurobiology. In general, when the application deals with fundamental neurobiological principles applied to the respiratory control system, referral to RIBT is appropriate.  Specific overlap occurs in the areas of rhythm generation and sleep.  Studies of respiratory rhythm generation are most appropriately assigned to RIBT, but could also be assigned to the IFCN IRG when the major emphasis is on basic neural mechanisms of central pattern generators versus respiratory rhythm generation per se. Similarly, basic neural mechanisms of sleep and circadian rhythms are most appropriate for the IFCN IRG, but studies concerning the neurobiological impact of sleep on breathing could be reviewed by RIBT. Thus, studies of respiratory control disorders are most appropriately reviewed by RIBT. Since the IFCN IRG includes autonomic regulation (but not the control of breathing), there may be shared interests in the control of airway and vascular smooth muscle, as well as cardio-respiratory interactions. Again, if the primary focus is on the respiratory system or interactions with the respiratory system, then assignment to RIBT is appropriate.
• With the Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience [BDCN] IRG: The BDCN IRG considers research applications focused on disease and injury to the nervous system, including issues of neural substrate and functional consequences, and rehabilitation. There may be shared interests in the consideration of respiratory function in neurodegenerative diseases such as parkinsonism, ALS, Rett Syndrome and a number of other neural disorders that affect breathing. When the primary focus of the application is on the respiratory system, then assignment to RIBT is appropriate. Assignment to the BDCN IRG is appropriate when the application considers the respiratory system as but one of the many systems affected by the neurodegenerative disease.  Other neural disorders such as SIDS appear to be relatively specific to the respiratory system and are appropriate for consideration by RIBT.