A New Model for Valley Fever: Studying Coccidioides Infection with Volatile Clues in Wax Moths
Official title: A New Model for Valley Fever: Comparative Volatilomics of Coccidioides Infection
Funded at Arizona State University-Tempe Campus · NIH-11439036 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing a new, cheaper model using wax moths to study Valley Fever caused by Coccidioides, with the goal of understanding how the infection behaves and how it could be diagnosed or treated.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Arizona State University-Tempe Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project start | August 7, 2026 |
| Project end | August 6, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $78,500 |
| NIH project number | 1R03AI202025-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11439036 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People at risk for Valley Fever or with suspected infection, and researchers studying fungal infections.
✕Less likely to help
This study uses wax moths and non-human models, so direct patient benefit is not immediate.
What this research studies
Valley Fever is a growing fungal infection in the southwestern U.S. that can cause severe illness even in healthy people. This grant will develop a wax moth infection model to study the disease in a scalable and ethical way, focusing on volatile compounds produced during infection. The work will use breath-like signals (VOC profiles) to identify patterns associated with infection and disease severity. By comparing different strains and infection conditions, scientists hope to uncover biomarkers and mechanisms that could inform future diagnostics or therapies. The project is a small, time-limited pilot that could lead to larger, more definitive studies if successful.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to faster, less invasive ways to detect Valley Fever and guide treatment decisions.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work in other pathogens suggests VOC-based infection signatures can distinguish disease states, but this exact wax moth model for Coccidioides is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
Scottsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Higgins Keppler, Emily a — Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
- Study coordinator: Higgins Keppler, Emily a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.