# Regulation of Monocyte Entry to the Brain During Neuroinflammation

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2022 · $42,702

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Neuroinflammation can have both protective and detrimental outcomes in brain health, depending on the
context. Immune cells that traffic to the brain may be critical for recognizing and defending against brain-
infiltrating pathogens. However, excessive inflammation can lead to neuroinflammatory diseases and brain
injury. Therefore, the immune system must be tightly controlled to maintain a balance that allows for host
defense against infections in the brain without causing neuropathology. The long-term goal of our research is
to define the factors that regulate immune cell infiltration to the central nervous system and neuroinflammation.
 Monocytes are inflammatory immune cells that circulate in the blood and function in host defense. They are
recruited to the central nervous system (CNS) during infection with Toxoplasma gondii, a foodborne parasite
that establishes chronic infection in CNS and can cause fatal encephalitis in immune-compromised individuals.
Although monocytes are essential for controlling T. gondii infection in the brain, the factors that regulate their
trafficking to the CNS remain poorly understood. We recently found that inflammatory monocytes preferentially
infiltrate the olfactory tubercle, an interconnected brain region involved in neural processing of sensory
information guiding motivated behaviors. The goal of this project is to determine the cellular and molecular
basis for monocyte recruitment to the CNS and into specific brain regions. Based on strong preliminary data,
we hypothesize that NK cells, adhesion molecules, chemokines, and alarmins released during brain injury
contribute to monocyte recruitment to the brain. Aim 1 will determine the role of NK cells in regulating
monocyte recruitment to the brain during T. gondii infection in mice. Aim 2 will determine the molecular basis
for region-specific monocyte recruitment to the brain. This work is significant because an understanding of the
factors regulating monocyte infiltration of the brain may enable the development of strategies to modulate
neuroinflammation during CNS disease. My previous training focused on microbiology and the microbiome.
The proposed research project will provide me with new training in immunology and neurobiology in the
context of infectious disease and enable me to develop skills in immunological methods and high-resolution
microscopy. UC Irvine is an R1 institution and Hispanic-serving institution that has demonstrated a
commitment to training diverse undergraduate and graduate student populations. Also, UC Irvine was awarded
funding for the NIH-BEST program, which exposes graduate students to training opportunity outside of
academia and offers courses to improve the communication skills of students. The training and mentoring
offered by the Sponsor and Co-Sponsor, highly collaborative and diverse scientific environment, seminars, and
conferences available at UC Irvine will provide the guidance and training in research a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10259698
- **Project number:** 5F31NS118865-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephanie Orchanian
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $42,702
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-01-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10259698

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10259698, Regulation of Monocyte Entry to the Brain During Neuroinflammation (5F31NS118865-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10259698. Licensed CC0.

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