Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded The Leland Stanford Junior University a Project Grant of $246,881 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) research on herpesvirus glycoprotein complexes. The award, announced on February 13, 2026, with completion targeted for January 31, 2028, funds structural research on varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoproteins essential to viral entry and immune evasion. The project will deliver near-atomic resolution structures of two critical glycoprotein complexes: GB/GH-GL (the core fusion machinery required for cell entry) and GE/GI (involved in viral replication and immune recognition), utilizing advanced cryo-EM techniques combined with cyclapol-based membrane extraction to capture proteins in their native membrane environment.

This research addresses a significant gap in understanding herpesvirus membrane fusion mechanisms and antibody recognition targets, overcoming limitations of computational protein prediction models in characterizing dynamic protein-protein interactions within membrane-associated complexes. The project comprises two primary objectives: determining the GB/GH-GL fusion complex structure and its functional relationships, and characterizing the GE/GI complex independently and in interaction with antibodies. Work will be conducted at Stanford's Palo Alto, California facility, where preliminary data has already demonstrated successful purification of both glycoprotein complexes from VZV-infected cells, establishing feasibility for the structural determination goals.