Flu-related inflammation in the nose’s smell system causing long-term loss of smell
Official title: Influenza virus induced neuroinflammation in the olfactory sensory system and long-term anosmia
Funded at Monell Chemical Senses Center · NIH-11367870 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether problems with antiviral genes cause long-lasting loss of smell after the flu, to help people who lost their sense of smell.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Monell Chemical Senses Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $656,479 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DC022622-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367870 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have had long-lasting loss of smell after a respiratory viral infection (such as influenza) would be the most relevant group for future human follow-up based on this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose smell loss is due to non-viral causes (for example head trauma, congenital anosmia, or structural nasal blockage) are unlikely to benefit from findings focused on post-viral mechanisms.
What this research studies
If you have lost your sense of smell, researchers will use animal models that mimic flu infection of the nose to see how the virus and the immune response damage smell cells. They will compare animals with normal antiviral defenses to those with genetic defects in antiviral genes to see if poor virus control leads to long-term smell loss. The team will track virus clearance, inflammation, nerve cell survival, and smell-related behaviors, and use bioinformatics to study gene and protein changes. Findings will be used to point toward genetic tests and new treatment targets for people with long-lasting post-viral smell loss.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to ways to predict who is at risk for persistent smell loss after flu and point to treatments to prevent or reverse it.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal and human studies have shown respiratory viruses can invade the olfactory system and cause temporary smell loss, but directly linking specific antiviral gene defects to chronic post-viral anosmia is a newer and less-tested idea.
Where this research is happening
-
Monell Chemical Senses Center
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Hong — Monell Chemical Senses Center
- Study coordinator: Wang, Hong
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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.