# Repertoire studies of human antibodies to RSV and MPV F

> **NIH NIH R01** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $624,292

## Abstract

Project Summary
In this project, the Jardetzky and Crowe laboratories will collaborate to investigate the neutralizing antibody
response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV), using complementary
structural, biochemical and immunological approaches. RSV and HMPV are respiratory viruses that cause
widespread morbidity within the human population second only to influenza virus. RSV is the most common
cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants worldwide. The virus also impacts the elderly and others with
weakened immune systems. HMPV was identified in 2001 and has been causing respiratory illnesses in the
human population for over 50 years. Similar to RSV, HMPV infections are associated with a significant burden
of hospitalizations and clinic visits in young children and in the elderly. Despite limited antigenic variation, RSV
and HMPV cause repeated infections throughout life and are associated with a lack of induction of durable
immunity. A clear explanation for this ability of the viruses to reinfect previously exposed individuals is still
lacking, although multiple hypotheses have been developed. The RSV and HMPV fusion (F) proteins are the
major targets of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), and nAbs targeting the prefusion conformation of the RSV F
protein have been shown to be the most potent inhibitors of viral entry. However, our understanding of the
antibody response to HMPV is much more limited. In this proposal, the Jardetzky and Crowe laboratories will
address outstanding issues in RSV and HMPV antibody immunity by studying monoclonal and repertoire-
based B cell responses to both viruses, conducting functional and structural mapping of antibody epitopes and
studying the sequence determinants of HMPV F conformational stabilization.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9990685
- **Project number:** 5R01AI137523-03
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Theodore S Jardetzky
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $624,292
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-06 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9990685

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9990685, Repertoire studies of human antibodies to RSV and MPV F (5R01AI137523-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9990685. Licensed CC0.

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