Frederic F. Little, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine
Biography
Dr. Little is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. He attends on the Allergy Consultation Service as well as the Medical Intensive Care Unit and Pulmonary Consultation Service at Boston Medical Center . His outpatient activity is concentrated in the Adult Asthma and Allergy Clinics.
Dr. Little’s longstanding clinical interests and research efforts are focused on examining the nature of airway inflammation in allergic asthma, and translational approaches to diagnostics of allergic disease.
Prior to coming to Boston University, during a postdoctoral fellowship at the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute , he investigated the effect of causing an experimental cold in asthmatic and healthy volunteers, followed by concurrent examination of clinical asthma markers (e.g., spirometry, symptoms) and airway secretions by nasal lavage and sputum induction.
In the laboratory, he used key cytokine transgenic and knockout mice to investigate antigen-dependent and -independent allergic airway inflammation. Specifically, he investigated interleukin-16, a major CD4 ligand, as a paradigm for downregulation of antigen-dependent TH2 inflammation.
His translational research continues at Boston University as a principle investigator in a clinic-based study to develop a rapid saliva diagnostics platform for determining the causes of deterioration in asthma control. This study has expanded to both Emergency Room populations at B.U. and cohorts of pediatric asthmatics in collaboration Dr. Elizabeth Matsui, Pediatric Allergy/Immunology at Johns Hopkins. This translational approach has also been used in developing a point of care device to accurately and rapidly quantify allergen-specific IgE using component-resolved diagnostics. This latter ongoing effort is in collaboration with Drs. M. Selim Unlü in the Boston University College of Engineering.
He has also participated as a Co-Investigator in immunotherapy trials with the NHLBI-funded Inner City Asthma Consortium, in collaboration with the BUMC site PI, Dr. George O’Connor.
Dr. Little’s educational and administrative responsibilities include directing the Boston University Allergy/Immunology Fellowship Training Program and being the Medical Director of the Pulmonary, Allergy and Sleep Clinics. He is also the Clinical Director of Allergy at Boston Medical Center, a role that touches on care delivery in the inpatient and outpatient settings.
Research interests include:
-Pulmonary Immunology
-Salivary Diagnostics of Lung Disease
-Point of Care Diagnostics of Allergic Disease
Clinical interests include:
-Asthma/Allergy
-Critical Care Medicine
-Eosinophilic Disorders
Other Positions
- Member, Pulmonary Center, Boston University
Education
- Tufts University School of Medicine, MD
- Harvard College, AB
Publications
- Published on 3/1/2022
Kearney L, Wiener RS, Dahodwala M, Fix GM, Hicks J, Little F, Howard J, Foreman AG, Wakeman C, O'Donnell C, Bulekova K, Drainoni ML, Kathuria H. A mixed methods study to inform and evaluate a longitudinal nurse practitioner/community health worker intervention to address social determinants of health and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease self-management. BMC Pulm Med. 2022 Mar 01; 22(1):74. PMID: 35232414.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/20/2021
Risma KA, Edwards KM, Hummell DS, Little FF, Norton AE, Stallings A, Wood RA, Milner JD. Potential mechanisms of anaphylaxis to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2021 06; 147(6):2075-2082.e2. PMID: 33857566.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/4/2020
Sheehan WJ, Krouse RZ, Calatroni A, Gergen PJ, Gern JE, Gill MA, Gruchalla RS, Khurana Hershey GK, Kattan M, Kercsmar CM, Lamm CI, Little FF, Makhija MM, Searing DA, Zoratti E, Busse WW, Teach SJ. Aeroallergen Sensitization, Serum IgE, and Eosinophilia as Predictors of Response to Omalizumab Therapy During the Fall Season Among Children with Persistent Asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020 10; 8(9):3021-3028.e2. PMID: 32376491.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/3/2014
Curiel-Lewandrowski C, Yamasaki H, Si CP, Jin X, Zhang Y, Richmond J, Tuzova M, Wilson K, Sullivan B, Jones D, Ryzhenko N, Little F, Kupper TS, Center DM, Cruikshank WW. Retraction: Loss of nuclear pro-IL-16 facilitates cell cycle progression in human cutaneous T cell lymphoma. J Clin Invest. 2014 Nov; 124(11):5085. PMID: 25365075.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/25/2013
Reddy D, Little FF. Glucocorticoid-resistant asthma: more than meets the eye. J Asthma. 2013 Dec; 50(10):1036-44. PMID: 23923995.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/7/2011
Konter JM, Parker JL, Baez E, Li SZ, Ranscht B, Denzel M, Little FF, Nakamura K, Ouchi N, Fine A, Walsh K, Summer RS. Adiponectin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury through suppression of endothelial cell activation. J Immunol. 2012 Jan 15; 188(2):854-63. PMID: 22156343.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/14/2011
Curiel-Lewandrowski C, Yamasaki H, Si CP, Jin X, Zhang Y, Richmond J, Tuzova M, Wilson K, Sullivan B, Jones D, Ryzhenko N, Little F, Kupper TS, Center DM, Cruikshank WW. Loss of nuclear pro-IL-16 facilitates cell cycle progression in human cutaneous T cell lymphoma. J Clin Invest. 2011 Dec; 121(12):4838-49. PMID: 22080865.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/5/2011
Richmond J, Finkel M, Studwell A, Little F, Cruikshank W. Introduction of pro-interleukin-16 inhibits T-lymphoblastic leukemia growth in mice. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2011 Oct; 137(10):1581-5. PMID: 21818556.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/22/2010
Cushing L, Kuang PP, Qian J, Shao F, Wu J, Little F, Thannickal VJ, Cardoso WV, Lü J. miR-29 is a major regulator of genes associated with pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011 Aug; 45(2):287-94. PMID: 20971881.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/15/2009
Blicharz TM, Siqueira WL, Helmerhorst EJ, Oppenheim FG, Wexler PJ, Little FF, Walt DR. Fiber-optic microsphere-based antibody array for the analysis of inflammatory cytokines in saliva. Anal Chem. 2009 Mar 15; 81(6):2106-14. PMID: 19192965.
Read at: PubMed
View 22 more publications: View full profile at BUMC