# Identifying determinants of human immunity against influenza: a multiscale approach

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2020 · $65,310

## Abstract

Project Summary
Seasonal influenza is a significant public health concern, yet it is not clear why individuals and populations differ
in their protection against influenza infection. The factors underlying protection can act at multiple scales, and
thus building a more complete understanding of protection requires an approach that integrates data at the
population, individual, and molecular levels. What factors influence population and individual risk of influenza
infection? How different are the antibody responses of individuals against influenza and what factors drive those
differences? Here, I propose to identify the relative influence of past infection, vaccination, and antigenic
evolution on determining both individual and population susceptibility by quantitatively modeling high-resolution
epidemiological and immunological data. In particular, I aim to determine the role of past influenza infection in
shaping the susceptibility of different age groups, identify the specific targets of the human antibody response
against influenza, and infer the relative importance of infection history, vaccination, and epitope immunogenicity
on antibody specificity. This work will have a significant impact on our ability to predict future influenza infection
and allow us to target interventions toward the most at-risk populations. Success of this project requires training
in advanced computational and statistical methods and state-of-the-art immunological techniques by members
of the Departments of Ecology & Evolution and Medicine at the University of Chicago. This interdisciplinary and
collaborative training environment will provide a strong foundation for gaining more complete understanding of
the interactions between influenza and the human immune system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10008955
- **Project number:** 5F32AI145177-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Philip Arevalo
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $65,310
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10008955

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10008955, Identifying determinants of human immunity against influenza: a multiscale approach (5F32AI145177-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10008955. Licensed CC0.

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