# Project 2: Systems biology analyses of RHCMV/SIV and IL-15 mechanisms of immune programming

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2024 · $19,176

## Abstract

Project 2 brings a systems biology approach, “systems vaccinology”, to investigate immune response
programing by IL-15 and RhCMV/SIV vaccine. Our goal is to define the molecular response by which IL-15 and
RhCMV/SIV vaccine program the protection-predictive immune phenotype in whole blood to vaccination, what
we term as the “whole blood protection-predictive transcriptomic signature” [wbPPTS] that predicts and underlies
vaccine protection from SIV infection. We will conduct three Aims including i) Determine the response to IL-15
in monocytes and T cells; ii) Define the tissue and cell-specific transcriptome correlates of IL-15 signaling linked
with RhCMV/SIV vaccination phenotype to program the wbPPTS, and iii) Validate RhCMV/SIV vaccination tissue
and wbPPTS signature linkage with protection against SIV challenge. Our research design features in vitro and
ex vivo models for analyses of cell signaling/responses to IL-15, and in vivo analyses of cell and tissue application
of three "omics" platforms including single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq and CITEseq), bulk RNAseq, and
tissue spatial profiling. Our bioinformatics/computational analyses will integrate functional genomics data sets
with immune response and protection phenotypes to determine the molecular and cellular features directing the
wbPPTS and vaccine protection. We will conduct bioinformatics of RhCMV/SIV transcriptomic responses in an
independent vaccination/SIV challenge cohort to ascertain specific tissue signature of protection and the
wbPPTS. This work will be conducted in a collaborative framework conjunction with Cores A-C and Project 1.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10897327
- **Project number:** 5P01AI177688-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael Gale
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $19,176
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2024-08-02

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10897327

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10897327, Project 2: Systems biology analyses of RHCMV/SIV and IL-15 mechanisms of immune programming (5P01AI177688-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10897327. Licensed CC0.

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