# Elimination of flavivirus infected target cells by ADCC

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND · 2021 · $196,562

## Abstract

SUMMARY
 The development and widespread use of a dengue vaccine is required to
significantly reduce the global dengue burden. A major goal of vaccine developers is to
elicit robust immunity to each of the four antigenically distinct serotypes of dengue since
all four serotypes can cause disease and death. It is likely that a zika virus vaccine will
be available in the coming years. Pre-existing dengue virus immunity may impact the
ability to generate an immunogenic zika vaccine. An improved understanding of the
quality of Abs elicited during flavivirus infection is necessary as it is becoming clear that
antibody function beyond neutralization is important.
 For this proposal, we will assess antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity
(ADCC) activity of antibodies present in well-defined zika immune sera (with and without
previous dengue exposure). We have novel cell lines that enable us to assess the
protein specificity of ADCC antibodies and also evaluate both target cell and effector
cell activation. We will determine the relationship between antigen density and ADCC
antibody titers in the sera. Finally, using pre-infection sera in individuals from Thailand
who subsequently developed a subclinical or clinical dengue infection, we will correlate
ADCC activity of antibodies with clinical outcome. The studies proposed are important
to guide the development of an effective flavivirus vaccine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10170256
- **Project number:** 5R21AI148869-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
- **Principal Investigator:** Alan L Rothman
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $196,562
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-22 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10170256

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10170256, Elimination of flavivirus infected target cells by ADCC (5R21AI148869-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10170256. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*