# Deciphering the role of chemical signals in inflammation with open microfluidic functional assays - U3 Supplement

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2024 · $216,736

## Abstract

Project Abstract
Small molecule and protein signals provide a rich vocabulary for cellular communication. The production and
consequences of these signals are exquisitely sensitive to cellular context and microenvironment. Dissecting the
molecular dialogue between cell types is challenging, and new methods are required to address fundamental
questions: What is the downstream biological function of each signaling molecule? How is the biological function
different when molecules are present in mixtures or when different cell types are present in the
microenvironment? How do microbes—like the bacteria and fungi present in our bodies—affect the molecular
landscape? Our lab is developing new tools to probe these questions including (1) microscale co- and
multiculture methods that enable precise positioning of cell types to study cell signaling, (2) specialized culture
platforms for complex human-bacteria-fungal multikingdom culture, (3) integration of microbial co- and
multiculture systems with volatile organic compound (VOC) sampling to study how volatiles mediate microbial
dialogue, and (4) at-home biofluid sampling and stabilization platforms to probe the human immune response
over time. The parent R35 award has three stated goals: 1) Develop novel microscale co- and multi-culture
platforms to study soluble factor signaling and use these tools to elucidate paracrine signaling mechanisms. 2)
Develop and validate new readouts for inflammation (e.g., fibrosis, vasodilation) and apply these methods to
identify key effector molecules and signaling pathways in inflammation. 3) Develop new analytical methods to
stabilize, isolate, and study inflammatory signals. Under the parent R35 award Goal 3, we developed a novel
platform that enables at-home blood sampling and RNA stabilization, homeRNA. The homeRNA kit contains a
commercially available at-home blood collection device and a custom ‘stabilizer tube’ that our lab engineered to
contain a stabilizing solution (e.g., RNAlater to stabilize RNA in blood). Importantly, homeRNA enables
longitudinal studies within an individual to capture temporal changes in gene expression signatures resulting
from exposures, disease flares, or in response to treatment. homeRNA enables evaluation of mechanistic
hypotheses in human populations, providing a complement to our lab’s in vitro microfluidic platforms, which use
cell lines or primary cells. In this supplement, my lab will build on our prior U3 Research Supplement (awarded
in 2022, prior to renewal of the parent R35 grant), where we established a cohort of U3 women (n=39) who used
homeRNA to sample themselves at home during an active COVID-19 infection. We will conduct surveys and
interviews to better understand their experiences in the study, ways that future studies can be improved to
facilitate inclusion of diverse populations, and ways that remote/telemedicine can increase access to healthcare
for U3 women. We will also analyze the samples collected to evaluate RN...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11018318
- **Project number:** 3R35GM128648-07S2
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Ashleigh Brooks Theberge
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $216,736
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11018318

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11018318, Deciphering the role of chemical signals in inflammation with open microfluidic functional assays - U3 Supplement (3R35GM128648-07S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11018318. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*