# Global analysis of circuitry governing fungal activation of host inflammation

> **NIH NIH K22** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $35,100

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
 Fungal pathogens take a devastating toll on human health worldwide, and fungal
infections are on the rise due to the growing population of immunocompromised
individuals. Treating fungal infections is extremely difficult, as fungi are closely related to
humans and there are very few drugs that kill the fungus without host toxicity. With the
emergence of drug resistance, the development of new therapeutics is now crucial. To
address this unmet medical need and identify new targets for drug development, it is
critical to uncover mechanisms that enable these pathogens to cause human disease.
 I have developed a powerful approach to study the front line of human defense
against these fungal pathogens. Host innate immune cells recognize and engulf the
invading pathogens, but the fungal cells are able to adapt and trigger immune cell death.
I recently discovered that this immune cell death requires fungal cell wall remodeling and
the NLRP3 inflammasome. However, the specific trigger and mechanisms involved
remain enigmatic. Here, I propose an interdisciplinary approach to examine mechanisms
by which fungi are able to induce host cell death, and the host pathways that are
required for responding to the invading pathogen. Our global analyses of fungal gene
expression, gene function and host immune responses will provide a high-resolution
portrait of this host-pathogen interface, and reveal new targets for therapeutics to save
human lives.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10461630
- **Project number:** 3K22AI137299-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Teresa R. OMeara
- **Activity code:** K22 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $35,100
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10461630

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10461630, Global analysis of circuitry governing fungal activation of host inflammation (3K22AI137299-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10461630. Licensed CC0.

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