# BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application

> **NIH VA IK6** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Dr. Olszewski is an immunologist with over 25 years of experience in studies of
inflammatory/infectious diseases in the lungs, CNS and at the systemic level with over 20 years
of research at the Ann Arbor VAHS. Overall career goal is to expand the understanding of host
pathogen interactions, specifically the effect of microbe- and host-derived signals on the fate of
the immune response. Understanding of these interactions will create a foundation for the
development of safe and effective immunomodulatory therapies that will greatly enhance the
effectiveness of antimicrobial therapeutics in persistent infections. Nominee’s lab has
specialized in animal modeling and translational studies, applying these principles to a broader
range of diseases as shown by more recent clinical data.
His studies have mostly focused on host pathogen interactions between invasive fungus C.
neoformans and the mammalian immune system. The studies of invasive fungal infections are
of specific interest to the VA, because of the higher than average rate of immunocompromised
patients among veterans and increased risk of exposure to various endemic and environmental
fungi due to locations and conditions of military service that favor fungal exposures.
Unfortunately, the invasive fungal infections have unacceptably high mortality rates, due to
limited effectiveness of antifungal drugs, toxicity, and the high potential of fungal organisms to
develop resistance to these drugs. Thus, it is crucial to understand the effects of
immunomodulation on fungal disease from the perspective of the natural mechanisms of host
defenses, mechanisms of immune evasion exhibited by fungi, and to explore pre-clinical
approaches of immunomodulatory therapies. The long-standing support of VA BLR&D was one
of the crucial factors that allowed our group to establish itself among leaders in cryptococcal and
fungal immunology. Additional areas of work involve clinical studies looking into pathogenesis
od ARDS in COVID19 patients and infections of GI track. The VA RCS Award will allow the
nominee to continue his productive research career, successful mentoring of new scientists and
to provide service to the research community at the VA and beyond.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10881676
- **Project number:** 5IK6BX005966-03
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Michal A Olszewski
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10881676

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10881676, BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application (5IK6BX005966-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10881676. Licensed CC0.

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