# T Cell Homeostasis and Function in Immune Senescence

> **NIH NIH R37** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2020 · $329,388

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Inflammation is believed to aggravate most of the chronic pathologies associated with aging, including
neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In contrast to that, there is accumulating evidence that
certain infections may delay AD onset. Beneficial and detrimental impacts of infection and inflammation upon
AD have not been systematically studied. This supplement proposal will directly address this issue, leveraging
and consistent with, the goals of the parent award.
 Our hypothesis for the supplement is that at least some types of infection-induced inflammation
may stimulate brain immune mechanisms to delay/beneficially modulate the onset and severity of AD.
To test it, we will cohouse AD mice with polymicrobial flora (the major focus of the parent award), or with
persistent or acute viruses (another major focus of the parent award), or innate immune sensor ligands (TLR)
as signals that induce localized (brain) infection, systemic persistent infection or systemic acute sterile
inflammation. We will assess whether and how these infection-based manipulations modulate AD onset and
severity (using flow cytometric – for immune cell activation - immunohistochemical and, where possible,
inflammatory markers) in two models of familial AD in mice. The results should pave the way for a fully
developed R01 proposal to mechanistically dissect the influence of infection and inflammation on AD and AD-
associated cognitive and behavioral changes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123296
- **Project number:** 3R37AG020719-13S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** JANKO Z. NIKOLICH
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $329,388
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2001-08-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123296

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123296, T Cell Homeostasis and Function in Immune Senescence (3R37AG020719-13S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123296. Licensed CC0.

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