# Immune Cells and Secretory Pathways Leading to Human Systemic Autoimmunity

> **NIH NIH U19** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2021 · $339,000

## Abstract

The Autoimmunity Center of Excellence based at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) in New York, NY aims at 1)
advancing the knowledge of pathways and mechanisms that contribute to the development and amplification of
Human Systemic Autoimmune Diseases (SADs); 2) developing tools and identifying biomarkers to monitor these
dysfunctional pathways. Ultimately, we aim to be able to stratify patients towards personalized approaches to
treatment.
The Center will employ ex vivo and in vitro high throughput technologies and immune profiling to gain insight
into the contribution to disease of two major and complementary compartments contributing to systemic disease:
Immune Cells and Extra-Cellular Nanoparticles. The appropriate infrastructure is in place to support patient-
based studies. In particular, we emphasize the following key conceptual and technological innovations adding to
our strengths, that include an established pediatric SLE cohort followed by experienced clinicians with an
exceptional record of participation in translational research
While the initial focus will be the study of children with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), extrapolation of
the Center findings to adult SLE as well as other SAD scenarios will be pursued, particularly in the context of the
ACE Collaborative efforts.
The Drukier Institute for Children’s Health Research at Weill Cornell Medicine has gathered a multidisciplinary
team of pediatric basic and patient-oriented investigators with expertise in immunology, autoimmunity, cancer
biology, molecular biology, bioinformatics and software engineers, who work together with clinical experts in
autoimmunity, cancer, allergy and infectious diseases—from bed-to-bench and bench-to-bed—to understand
and treat these diseases. The Institute has also established strong local, national and international
collaborations. Dr. Pascual’s team has a long history of productive research in the fields of human
autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Lyden’s group has pioneered the study of exosomes and
exomeres, and how these particles horizontally transfer their cargo to recipient cells, thereby acting as vehicles
of intercellular communication in both physiological and pathological conditions. The proposed Center is a natural
result of the very complementary expertise of these groups and is well-poised to work collaboratively to advance
clinical and basic discoveries in the field of human autoimmunity.
.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10159207
- **Project number:** 5U19AI144301-03
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Maria Virginia Pascual
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $339,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10159207

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10159207, Immune Cells and Secretory Pathways Leading to Human Systemic Autoimmunity (5U19AI144301-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10159207. Licensed CC0.

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