Project Grant R01HL178722

Project Grant Summary

Mayo Clinic Arizona received a $1.67 million Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), awarded July 15, 2026, with completion targeted for June 30, 2028. The award funds research to define mechanisms by which severe respiratory viral infections—including influenza and SARS-CoV-2—promote pathogenic lung CD4+ T cell responses that perpetuate long-term lung sequelae. The research specifically investigates tissue-resident helper (TRH) CD4+ T cells that express the P2RX7 purinergic receptor, a molecular target identified as necessary for excessive TRH cell accumulation following severe infection. Deliverables include mechanistic research using infection models and human patient samples to establish whether P2RX7-mediated signaling drives the formation of pathogenic lung CD4+ T cells and whether blocking this pathway can prevent or reverse irreversible lung damage observed in patients with "long COVID" and "long flu" conditions.

The research output will generate foundational knowledge to inform novel therapeutic strategies for preventing or treating long-term respiratory complications following viral infections. Work is performed at Mayo Clinic Arizona's Scottsdale facility and leverages the organization's established capabilities in infectious disease immunology, translational medicine, and human biospecimen analysis. As a component of the Mayo Clinic health system and a nonprofit academic medical center, Mayo Clinic Arizona competes on peer-reviewed scientific merit through NIH study section review and advisory council evaluation, positioning this award within the NHLBI's broader portfolio of hypothesis-driven mechanistic research on cardiovascular and pulmonary pathology.