# Multiscale modeling of the battle over iron in invasive lung infection

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2021 · $748,326

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Invasive aspergillosis is among the most common fungal infection in immunocompromised hosts and carries a
poor outcome. The spores of the causative organism, Aspergillus fumigatus, are ubiquitously distributed in the
environment. Healthy hosts clear the inhaled spores without developing disease, but individuals with impaired
immunity are susceptible to a life-threatening respiratory infection that can then disseminate to other organs.
The increasing use of immunosuppressive therapies in transplantation and cancer has dramatically increased
suffering and death from this infection, and this trend is expected to continue. Current therapeutic approaches
have been focused primarily on the pathogen, but a better understanding of the components of host defense in
this infection may lead to the development of new treatments against this infection, possibly in combination
with antifungal drugs.
 Iron is essential to all living organisms, and restricting iron availability is a critical mechanism of
antimicrobial host defense against many microorganisms; conversely, successful pathogens have evolved
potent mechanisms for scavenging iron from the host. These mechanisms have the potential to be harnessed
therapeutically, for example with drugs that enhance the host’s iron sequestration mechanisms. The
overarching goal of this project is to develop a multi-scale mathematical model that can serve as a simulation
tool of the role of iron in invasive aspergillosis. The model will integrate mechanisms at the molecular scale
with tissue-level events and a whole-body scale capturing the role of the liver. The project brings an innovative
approach to the study of this infection, and introduces innovative features to multiscale modeling through a
novel modular software design that improves flexibility, reproducibility, and model sharing.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10213617
- **Project number:** 5R01AI135128-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** REINHARD LAUBENBACHER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $748,326
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-08 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10213617

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10213617, Multiscale modeling of the battle over iron in invasive lung infection (5R01AI135128-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10213617. Licensed CC0.

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