# Animal models and fungal mutants

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2023 · $370,087

## Abstract

Abstract
The goals of the Model Organisms Core are to carry out the biohazardous research projects that are proposed
in the Projects 1-4 and within the Core itself, and to maintain the culture collection of different strains of both
species of Coccidioides. This Core has two aims. One is to carry out all the activities and experiments proposed
in the projects that involve live, virulent Coccidioides species, Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii,
as they are classified as BSL3 pathogens. The other aim of the Core C is to utilize new methods to make targeted
mutations in conserved genes in both species of Coccidioides, and to test the mutants for their ability to grow on
media and in mice. The BSL3 facility will enable testing new hypotheses from Projects 1, 2, & 3 in mice, and to
generate new hypotheses about immune responses from the results of mouse experiments proposed in Aim 1
to inform Project 3. The proposed studies in Aim 2 are directly related to Project 4 and will also shed light on the
fungal genes that contribute to virulence, which may be new targets for therapeutics, and to identify host genes
and response pathways that control immune responses to Coccidioides infection, which may reveal new
therapeutic targets for biological agents.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10554366
- **Project number:** 5U19AI166059-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Joshua Fierer
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $370,087
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-01-24 → 2026-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10554366

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10554366, Animal models and fungal mutants (5U19AI166059-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10554366. Licensed CC0.

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