NIH Awarded Grant for Infant Asthma Therapy Study

Airway Therapeutics received $1.9 million to test a treatment for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm neonates.

Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Asthma

Isometric editorial illustration of a sterile medical nebulizer nozzle sitting on a metallic surface, representing a new clinical therapy. — The National Institutes of Health awarded a $1.9 million grant to Airway Therapeutics to fund a clinical trial for a potential therapy to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $1.9 million grant to Airway Therapeutics to support a Phase 2b clinical study. This trial evaluates the efficacy of zelpultide alfa in preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia in high-risk preterm infants.

Why it matters

The research addresses a significant gap in medical care, as there are currently no approved preventive therapies for bronchopulmonary dysplasia. This federal funding assists in the late-stage development of a treatment designed to modulate immune responses in neonates.

The NIH grant, identified as R44HL186892, covers only 4.3 percent of the total project costs, while nongovernmental sources provide the remaining 95.7 percent, totaling $42,000,100 in private funding.

The players

Airway Therapeutics

This company is a biopharmaceutical firm focused on developing treatments for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

This federal agency provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood.

The details

The study evaluates zelpultide alfa, a recombinant human surfactant protein D, against the current standard of care. This protein is engineered to maintain surfactant homeostasis and modulate immune responses in the lungs of premature infants.

Airway Therapeutics announced the grant receipt on September 29, 2026.

The Big Picture

This project follows the pattern set by the Small Business Innovation Research program, which provides essential federal backing to bridge the gap between early discovery and late-stage clinical development for innovative medical therapies.

This development represents a potential future shift in neonatal care standards, as current options for preventing this condition remain limited. While the trial is ongoing, it offers hope for new treatment pathways that may eventually improve health outcomes for preterm neonates.

The takeaway

The advancement of zelpultide alfa highlights the critical role of private funding in supporting medical breakthroughs that the public sector alone may not fully sustain. Ongoing clinical trials will be necessary to determine if this therapy will eventually become a standard part of neonatal care.