# Whole Body Deep Tissue Characterization of the Human Virome

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $1,127,949

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The virome is heterogenous and widely distributed across the whole body. Given the challenges of obtaining
deeper tissues from healthy individuals, however, it is unknown how these viruses persist across various
anatomical, histological, and cellular environments or how host immune and inflammatory responses differ
across these compartments in response to infection. Thus, it is essential for the Human Virome Project (HVP)
to include studies of deeper tissues in the general (healthy) population. To address these critical knowledge
gaps, we will leverage our unique longitudinal POstmortemSystematic InvesTigation of Sudden Cardiac Death
(POST SCD) Study, a prospective postmortem study of consecutive victims of out-of-hospital sudden death in
San Francisco County which has thus far collected extensive tissue samples from numerous tissues including
brain, lymph nodes, liver, spleen, gut, heart, pulmonary vasculature, lung parenchyma, pancreas, and bone
marrow from >1,000 SCD victims. We also leverage our ongoing prospective tissue biopsy program through
the UCSF LIINC study to collect blood, PBMC, gut tissue, lymph node aspirates and bone marrow in people
with prior COVID-19. The unique, direct access to human represents an unprecedented opportunity to examine
the human virome across organ systems in a broad survey of ambulatory adults to uncover mechanisms that
facilitate viral persistence but also may lead to immune dysregulation or subclinical inflammation. This highly
innovative project involves in situ hybridization, cutting-edge tissue-based transcriptomic/proteomic profiling,
metagenomics virome sequencing, and ultra-high multiplexed immuno-histochemical platforms. Our aims are
to: (1) Test the hypothesis that the human tissue virome in otherwise healthy persons is heterogeneously
distributed in various anatomical and immune-privileged regions, across the lifespan, and by sex assigned at
birth. We will accomplish this by determining the anatomical, histological, and cellular tropism of the human
virome in adults in relatively good health dying suddenly out-of-hospital. (2) Test the hypothesis that the tissue
virome is dependent on host gene, protein and immune responses across tissues that facilitate persistence.
We further hypothesize that the virome requires escape from or adaptation to innate and adaptive immune
responses which allow viral persistence, but also may lead to immune modulation or sub-clinical tissue
inflammation. (3) Establish an innovative pilot research grant award program to support collaborative, cutting
edge research involving tissue-based studies to foster interest and development in novel ways to characterize
the virome and impact on host responses across the whole body, a key component of the Human Virome
Project.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10987809
- **Project number:** 1U01AT012993-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Timothy Jensen Henrich
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,127,949
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-13 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10987809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10987809, Whole Body Deep Tissue Characterization of the Human Virome (1U01AT012993-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10987809. Licensed CC0.

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