# 3-D Culture Models

> **NIH NIH R21** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $195,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes debilitating and life-threatening disease due congenital and
perinatal/postnatal transmission. There are no vaccines in clinical use to prevent HCMV disease. HCMV
pneumonia occurs more frequently following perinatal/postnatal than congenital infection. Moreover, HCMV
pneumonia continues as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-exposed and infected infants. The
route of transmission, developmental age, and underlying immune-deficiencies are all known contributors to the
outcome of HCMV infection. Hypothesis driven research identifying viral determinants contributing to the
initiation and progression of HCMV pneumonia are important to the overall goals of developing novel treatments
and vaccines. From the pathology of HCMV pneumonia, it is suggested the virus causes alveolar damage and
interstitial inflammation/fibrosis. Viral tropism within the tissue along with virus-induced cytokines are proposed
to contribute to each outcome. Because HCMV does not infect small animals, the related murine virus, MCMV,
has been used for studies of pneumonia in neonatal mice. These studies have identified infections in alveolar
epithelial cells and macrophages as important to disease outcome. The overall goal of this project is to provide
an in vitro cell model that effectively bridges observations made regarding the human disease and those made
in animal model studies with state-of-the-art airway cell models. Currently available in vitro models of human
tissue-derived 3D airway epithelium and myeloid cells will be evaluated in Aims 1 and 2. Aim 1 will address viral
tropism in primary epithelial cell models in 3D cultures. Aim 2 will determine whether HCMV-induced cytokine
expression in infected macrophages alters replication of HCMV in the epithelial cell model. Combined, the
specific goals will systematically evaluate available airway models and address specific viral determinants that
may promote alveolar damage.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978700
- **Project number:** 5R21AI142507-02
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** EDWARD S. Edward S Mocarski
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $195,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-25 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978700

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978700, 3-D Culture Models (5R21AI142507-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978700. Licensed CC0.

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