# Targeting lipid-oxidizing B cells to enhance vaccine responses during immunosuppression

> **NIH NIH K22** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $162,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This is a proposal for a two-year career transition award to study atypical B cells as a novel immunologic and
metabolic target to improve vaccine responses in immunosuppressed individuals. The candidate is currently a
postdoctoral research fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The proposal builds on the
candidate's extensive experience in vaccine immunology and immunometabolism to understand how metabolic
reprogramming of B cells contributes to successful vaccine responses. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted
the need to develop and rapidly deploy highly immunogenic vaccines. However, insufficient immune responses
in immunocompromised individuals have emphasized that novel vaccine formulations may be required for
specific populations to overcome immunosuppression. To date, the basic immunology behind successful
vaccine responses during immunosuppression has not been well characterized. By dissecting the immunologic
and metabolic landscape following vaccination in immunosuppressed individuals, we hope to generate building
blocks to reverse engineer vaccines for specific patient populations. Preliminary data from the principal
investigator indicates that solid organ transplant recipients, who respond poorly to vaccination due to a variety
of immunosuppressive drugs, manage to successfully respond to COVID-19 vaccination by expanding atypical
B cells that are reliant on fatty acid oxidation. To further these findings, the principal investigator has proposed
a research plan consisting of 3 specific aims. Aim 1 will define populations of immunosuppressed individuals
who utilize atypical CD11c+ B cells as a salvage pathway to successful vaccine responses. Aim 2 will assess
atypical CD11c+ B cell and T cell interaction to determine specific immunological contexts that drive CD11c+ B
cell expansion. Aim 3 will target fatty acid oxidation using vaccine adjuvants to enhance atypical CD11c+ B cell
development. Together, these studies will answer how atypical B cells develop in the presence of
immunosuppression, what agents we can use to metabolically target them, and who will benefit from vaccine
strategies targeting atypical B cells. The principal investigator will also learn new techniques necessary to
accomplish the proposed research under the advisory team (Drs. Cox, Bailey, Durbin, Ji, and Pearce), all of
whom have pioneering expertise in vaccinology, immunology, immunometabolism, and biostatistics. Importantly,
her advisory committee collectively has a very strong track record of training both clinical and postdoctoral fellows
who have successfully transitioned into independent investigators at top tier research institutions. She will also
engage in and present at national seminars, take coursework on metabolic modeling, clinical vaccinology, Jr.
Faculty leadership program, grant-writing seminars, and training on running a laboratory. The outlined career
development and research plan will provide the candidate w...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10643256
- **Project number:** 1K22AI175398-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Anne Thompson
- **Activity code:** K22 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $162,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10643256

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10643256, Targeting lipid-oxidizing B cells to enhance vaccine responses during immunosuppression (1K22AI175398-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10643256. Licensed CC0.

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