# Molecular and cellular analysis of host response to Cocci

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2023 · $378,339

## Abstract

Project 2 Molecular and Cellular Analysis of Host Response to Coccidioides
Project Summary
 In project 2, we will apply sophisticated technologies to interrogate the host response to Coccidioides.
Coccidioides infections cause a broad range of disease outcomes ranging from subclinical infection to a
community-acquired pneumonia, to disseminated central nervous system disease. It has been postulated that
variation in the host response, including potential differences in innate and/or adaptive immune responses,
contributes to the spectrum of disease manifestations. The long-term goal of Project 2 is to apply transcriptomics,
mass cytometry, single-cell RNAseq, and phage display to analyze the molecular and cellular response to
Coccidioides infection using both in vitro infection models and patient samples.
 Our goal is to examine the host response in three critical areas that benefit from the expertise and
resources available to the investigators. We will establish a baseline profile of the macrophage response to
Coccidioides by comparing the transcriptional profile of these host cells to infection with either wild-type or
avirulent Coccidioides strains (the latter generated in the CRISPR and Virulence Core). To characterize and
compare the human response to chronic infection we will use mass cytometry and single-cell RNAseq to
interrogate lung nodules from Valley Fever patients in the endemic region of California. These studies would be
challenging for most investigators and are made possible here by the sophisticated infrastructure available at
the UCSF CoLabs (see letter of support). Additionally, we will take advantage of a rich set of clinical samples
(from UC Davis, Project 3 and Clinical and Diagnostics Core) to profile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients
with disseminated coccidioidal meningitis. Additionally, to determine which elements of the host response can
be utilized for diagnostic applications, we will use high-resolution epitope-mapping technology to identify the
most immunogenic regions of the Coccidioides proteome. Notably this project will draw new investigators into
the coccidioidomycosis field. Taken together, we hope to amplify our understanding of the molecular and cellular
constituents of the host response to Coccidioides infection, providing a critical foundation for the development of
future diagnostics and therapeutics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10540814
- **Project number:** 5U19AI166798-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Anita Sil
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $378,339
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-01-01 → 2026-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10540814

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10540814, Molecular and cellular analysis of host response to Cocci (5U19AI166798-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10540814. Licensed CC0.

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