Project Grant R01AI110385

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) provides $427,625 to The University of Iowa to investigate the mechanisms by which measles virus (MEV) spreads rapidly through airway epithelial cells. The research aims to confirm that MEV utilizes a membrane fusion apparatus (MFA) consisting of three viral proteins to open intercellular pores, allowing the viral ribonucleoprotein complex to pass...

This Project Grant award of $565,834 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (CFDA 93.837 Cardiovascular Diseases Research), aims to investigate the long-term impact of early-life respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection on the development of childhood asthma. The research will focus on understanding how RSV infection can cause epigenetic modifications in lung epithelial cells that lead to persistent changes in the lung's...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $744,977 to Emory University to conduct research on the role of T cells in protecting against respiratory virus transmission. The research aims to identify the cellular interactions and molecular mechanisms that allow tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) to rapidly eliminate infected cells and limit viral propagation...

This Project Grant award of $497,000 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports research at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) aimed at understanding how mechanical forces impact viral infections in lung tissue. The primary objectives are to investigate how matrix stiffness and cyclic strain affect viral infection rates and cellular responses in lung fibroblasts, as well as examine the role of strain-activated calcium channels in viral...

This $131,988 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, supports research targeting determinants of SARS-CoV-2 host interaction in airways. Funded through the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program, the grant aims to identify master regulator proteins that mechanistically regulate SARS-CoV-2 interactions in the airways. Using organotypic airway epithelial culture and systems biology tools at Columbia University, the...

This federal Project Grant award, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), supports research to advance the development of monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments for paramyxovirus infections. The key objectives are to: 1) Define the human B cell repertoire and neutralizing mAbs targeting the parainfluenza virus (PIV) fusion and hemagglutinin-neuraminidase surface proteins; 2) Determine...

This Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), provides $724,431 to the University of Illinois to conduct research on the regulation of distal basal cells in terminal and respiratory airway regeneration. The project aims to characterize the stem cells of the terminal and respiratory bronchioles, including a novel subset of basal cells, and elucidate the mechanisms that govern their identity...

This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research program (CFDA 93.121), provides $235,500 to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey to conduct research on identifying alternative receptors for SARS-CoV-2 in oral epithelial cells. The key objectives are to determine the repertoire of SARS-CoV-2 receptors and infection profiles in region-specific oral epithelial cells and tissues from...

This Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (CFDA 93.837 Cardiovascular Diseases Research) aims to define the functional role of lung microfold (M) cells in predisposition to influenza-associated pneumococcal invasion and ensuing pneumonia and sepsis. The $342,900 award, spanning September 2024 to September 2026, will support in vitro and in vivo studies to identify the intracellular trafficking mechanisms during pneumococcal transcytosis across airway M cells....

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded a $171,728 Project Grant (CFDA 93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research) to Weill Medical College of Cornell University to study the role of premature infant gut microbiome dysbiosis in mediating immune development and response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. The research aims to define how the altered gut microbiome in premature infants impacts their ability to mount effective...