# CHEETAH Center for the Structural Biology of HIV Infection, Restriction, and Viral Dynamics

> **NIH NIH U54** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2022 · $5,522,957

## Abstract

PROGRAM SUMMARY
The CHEETAH Center for the Structural Biology of HIV Infection, Restriction, and Viral Dynamics will be organized
around: 1) three Scientific Projects that will advance our understanding of HIV-host interactions and provide the foundations
for developing new therapeutic strategies for HIV treatment and cure, 2) three Scientific Cores that will advance important
methodology and provide Center members with access to state-of-the-art technologies, 3) an Administrative Core that will
coordinate Center activities and direct our Scientific Education, Public Outreach, and Molecular Animations, and 4) a
Developmental Core that will engage and support the next generation of HIV structural biology researchers.
Scientific Project 1 (Infecting the Cell) will define the steps in the first half of the HIV-1 life cycle in molecular and
mechanistic detail.
Scientific Project 2 (Innate Cellular Defenses Against HIV) will define the structural and mechanistic bases for host
recognition, restriction, and innate immune responses to HIV-1.
Scientific Project 3 (Multiscale Analysis and Modulation of Viral Dynamics) will characterize and modulate HIV-1
dynamics across multiple size and resolution scales; from whole-animal studies that will image and characterize sites of
viral rebound at the cellular and tissue levels, to structural studies of proviral silencing and reactivation, to studies that
attempt to create new pantropic blocks to enveloped virus budding and new biologics delivery systems.
Scientific Core 1 (Tools for Biopolymer Synthesis and Screening) will develop new methodology and provide Center
members with access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise in Peptide Synthesis, Protein Design, and CRISPR
Screening Methodology.
Scientific Core 2 (Tools for Structural and Mechanistic Studies) will develop new methodology and provide Center
members with access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise in Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Dynamics,
Scaffolds for Structure Determination, and Electron Cryotomography.
Scientific Core 3 (Protein Production, Biophysical Characterization, and Structure Determination) will provide access to
state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise in Expression and Purification of Proteins and Complexes, Biophysical
Characterization, and Structure Determination by both X-ray crystallography and cryoEM.
Our Administrative Core will coordinate the entire range of Center activities; monitoring progress, and ensuring that all
Personnel, Projects, and Cores are functioning effectively. This Core will also oversee Center Organization and Governance,
and Scientific Education and Public Outreach, including our award-winning Science of HIV website and associated media.
Our Developmental Core will administer our Collaborative Development, Seminar, Visiting Scholar, and Other Training
Activities for early career investigators.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10508311
- **Project number:** 1U54AI170856-01
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** WESLEY I. SUNDQUIST
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $5,522,957
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-11 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10508311

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10508311, CHEETAH Center for the Structural Biology of HIV Infection, Restriction, and Viral Dynamics (1U54AI170856-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10508311. Licensed CC0.

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