# Assessing Flu-specific Humoral Immunity in Human Lung after Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2020 · $185,625

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY. Broadly reactive humoral immune responses to flu protect against viral variants. Murine
data shows that the flu-specific memory B cells (Bmem) in the lung are cross-protective across a number of
influenza strains and are functionally distinct from circulating and lymphoid counterparts. As yet we do not know
if flu-specific Bmem in the human lung are cross-protective and bridging this knowledge gap is important to
design the appropriate vaccine regimens that are universally protective against flu. Flu-specific Bmem in ex vivo
lung tissues are rare and this represents a significant technical hurdle in assaying the flu-specific Bmem response
in human lung tissues. In order to address this technical hurdle, this application seeks to establish a model
system wherein human lung tissue is challenged with influenza virus and maintained viable after this challenge
on an advanced cardiopulmonary modality called Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion or EVLP. We anticipate this model will
allow us to enumerate and analyze the flu-specific Bmem response at scale in ex vivo human lung tissues. We
also anticipate that this model system will allow us to compare binding reactivity to viral variants between flu-
specific Bmem located in lung versus mediastinal lymph node tissues to define where cross-protective immunity
exists in the respiratory tract.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9956447
- **Project number:** 1R21AI152006-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Anoma Nellore
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $185,625
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9956447

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9956447, Assessing Flu-specific Humoral Immunity in Human Lung after Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (1R21AI152006-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9956447. Licensed CC0.

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