# Viral Persistence and Pathogenesis

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $273,221

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Viruses have evolved a vast array of mechanisms to avoid detection and/or elimination by host
defenses and to establish persistent infections that not only ensures survival in the human population, but can
also contribute to pathogenesis. While we have developed effective antiviral drugs and vaccines against some
important viruses, the threat of viral diseases worldwide remains, largely due to antigenic drift and shift, drug
resistant mutants, emerging infectious agents, and importantly persistent or latent infections. The complexity
and diversity of persistence and pathogenesis mechanisms utilized by viruses pose major challenges to the
development of effective vaccines and chemical or immune-based treatments of virus diseases. To address
these complex problems, it is essential to understand the mechanisms underlying viral persistence and
pathogenesis, at the molecular level. Thus, there continues to be an urgent need to train a new generation of
independent investigators with the interdisciplinary experience and expertise to address the complex issues of
viral persistence and pathogenesis. A goal of the training program has been, and will continue to be, the
recruitment of undergraduates and recent Ph.D. graduates in related disciplines (biochemistry, biological
sciences, cellular and molecular biology, etc) into advanced studies in mechanisms of viral persistence and
pathogenesis. The training program brings together the expanding number of basic science faculty devoted to
the study of viruses and translational research in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, the
Department of Pediatrics, the Cancer Virology Program, and the Center for Vaccine Research at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the Graduate School of Public Health. The Viral Persistence and
Pathogenesis (VPP) training program offers a unique opportunity for the coordinated interdisciplinary research
training of predoctoral trainees within the structure of the Program in Microbiology and Immunology (PMI) and
postdoctoral trainees within the laboratories of the VPP faculty, with additional training via specialized course
offerings, dedicated research seminars, retreats, and participation in national scientific meetings. Importantly,
the VPP program is unique in that it leverages concepts in persistence and pathogenesis from diverse viral
systems with the goal of educating trainees of the diversity of mechanisms, but also enabling the utilization of
common themes for their research. Support for 4 predoctoral and 2 postdoctoral trainees per year is
requested. The VPP program remains committed to the need to increase diversity in trainees, to provide
training in the responsible conduct of research, and to provide career guidance for trainees.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10840792
- **Project number:** 5T32AI049820-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Neal A. DeLuca
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $273,221
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2001-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10840792

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10840792, Viral Persistence and Pathogenesis (5T32AI049820-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10840792. Licensed CC0.

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