# Supplement: Immunometabolic and epigenetic effects of obesity on innate immune surveillance in cancer

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $447,500

## Abstract

Project Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions worldwide, however it is clear that there are
predisposing factors that lead to critical illness and mortality including older age, and underlying
conditions particularly type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) has reported that patients with T2DM may have up to ten-times greater risk of death
when they contract COVID-19. Understanding the immune response is critical to preventing or reducing
mortality from COVID-19 and informing therapeutic strategies for this patient population. The overall
aim of this proposal is to identify the immune basis for increased disease severity and death from
COVID-19 in patients with obesity and T2DM.
It is now appreciated that obesity is associated with immune dysregulation, which may be the cause of
some obesity related diseases. For example, Natural killer (NK) cells, so-called due to their natural
cytotoxicity against viruses and tumors, are unable to kill targets efficiently in obese humans and mice.
We have recently found similar defects in CD8 T cells in patients with obesity and T2DM. The key
unanswered questions are 1) are these immune defects responsible for the increased severity and
death from COVID-19 in patients with obesity and T2DM 2) do patents with obesity and T2DM have an
underactive or overactive (damaging cytokine storm) in response to COVID-19? and 3) is metabolic
dysregulation at the heart of these defects? It is critical to understand the immune basis for this
susceptibility in order to prevent or reduce mortality from COVID-19 and to inform therapeutic strategies
in this patient populations. Findings from this study may lead to understanding the immune response
in patients with obesity for future novel viral outbreaks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10211421
- **Project number:** 3R01AI134861-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Lydia Lynch
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $447,500
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-08-28 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10211421

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10211421, Supplement: Immunometabolic and epigenetic effects of obesity on innate immune surveillance in cancer (3R01AI134861-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10211421. Licensed CC0.

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