# Modulation of Lung Immune Responses to Viral Infection

> **NIH NIH U19** · JACKSON LABORATORY · 2022 · $43,400

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT OVERALL
We propose a U19 Cooperative Center on Human Immunology at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX CCHI) to
elucidate the innate immune networks that shape adaptive immune responses to respiratory viral infections in
the human lung. Epithelial barriers lie at the interface between host and environment, where they sense invading
pathogen. Dendritic cells (DCs) present pathogen-derived antigens to T and B cells to induce immune responses.
However, the impact of the human lung tissue environment on DC and other cells, such as the newly identified
innate lymphoid cell (ILC) family, as well as bacteria-reactive MAIT cells, is not completely understood. An
understudied environmental factor is the lung microbiome. Microbiota are known to critically modulate the
function of immune cells, particularly at mucosal surfaces, but how this occurs in the lung is not fully addressed.
The JAX CCHI seeks to address these critical questions using a multi-disciplinary experimental
approach that will integrate immunology with epithelial cell biology along with genomic, cellular,
functional and microbiome parameters identified in human lung tissues. Our overarching hypothesis is that
the quality and magnitude of mucosal T cell responses to respiratory viral infections are determined by the cross-
talk between microbiota, epithelial cells and leukocytes. To address this hypothesis, we structured the JAX CCHI
around two integrated research projects focused on basic immunological mechanisms of lung antiviral immunity;
a technology development project that will create sophisticated cellular models leveraging 3D bioprinting, gene
editing tools and microbiome-immune assays to support project objectives; a sample core for storage and
distribution of human tissues; and a microbiome core for specialized microbiome profiling, cultivation, and
computational analysis. Our Center will bring together clinicians with experts in lung immunology, the
microbiome, bioengineering, genomics and computational biology to achieve our goals and maximize the
potential of this research. An administrative core will provide coordination, communication and oversight for the
program. The goals of this CCHI are to: 1) Understand how the networks of epithelial cells and immune cells in
the human lung regulate innate and adaptive immunity to respiratory viruses; 2) Define how inflammation driven
by the microbiome dictates the steady state of tissue, i.e., immune set-point; 3) Determine if and how this immune
set-point is altered in two pulmonary diseases, childhood asthma and adult lung cancer, which have a major
impact on public health; and 4) Develop innovative technologies to model human lung-immune dynamics and
elucidate molecular mechanisms, cell types and pathways key to lung antiviral responses. Impact: Through
studies focused on the sensors, inducers and modulators of antiviral immunity in the human lung, our CCHI will
contribute insights that could help improve outcomes f...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10399136
- **Project number:** 3U19AI142733-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** JACKSON LABORATORY
- **Principal Investigator:** Anna Karolina Palucka
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $43,400
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-04-08 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10399136

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10399136, Modulation of Lung Immune Responses to Viral Infection (3U19AI142733-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10399136. Licensed CC0.

---

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