# Immune mechanisms of post-infectious uveitis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2021 · $424,177

## Abstract

Abstract
 Uveitis, or ocular inflammation, is a blinding condition that affects around 300,000 people in the
US, and millions world-wide. Chronic forms of uveitis are associated with poor visual outcomes and
require long-term immune suppression therapy. Post-infectious uveitis is a devastating form of chronic
uveitis that develops after an ocular or a systemic infection and is challenging to treat. There is a
significant lack of understanding about the fundamental mechanisms responsible for post-infectious
uveitis. This has limited the development of effective treatment strategies and new treatment options.
 Currently, there is debate whether post-infectious uveitis is caused by the presence of killed
microbial antigens retained in the eye, or generated by an inadvertent autoimmune response triggered
by infection. To answer this question, we developed a mouse model of chronic post-infectious uveitis
termed primed mycobacterial uveitis (PMU). Our preliminary data show that the adaptive but not innate
immune system is necessary for chronic uveitis, and supports an autoimmune mechanism of disease.
In the current proposal we will extend our initial findings to build a more detailed understanding of the
mechanisms responsible for post-infectious uveitis and test the hypothesis that chronic post-infectious
uveitis results from a de novo T-cell mediated adaptive immune response to ocular antigens.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10213748
- **Project number:** 5R01EY030431-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Kathryn Pepple
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $424,177
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10213748

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10213748, Immune mechanisms of post-infectious uveitis (5R01EY030431-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10213748. Licensed CC0.

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