How hepatitis E can affect the brain and nerves, studied in gerbils
A gerbil model to delineate the mechanism of hepatitis E virus extrahepatic pathogenesis
Researchers will use gerbils to learn how hepatitis E virus can infect brain cells and cause nerve and brain damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11228398 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses gerbils that are susceptible to several types of hepatitis E virus to model how the virus reaches and harms the brain and nerves. Scientists will look at infection of cells in the neurovascular unit (brain endothelial cells, microglia, and astrocytes), measure inflammatory signals like IL-18 and TNF-α, and study cell death pathways such as pyroptosis that may drive neurological injury. The team builds on prior findings in pigs and cell models and will correlate virus presence with tissue damage and inflammation in the gerbil brain. Results aim to show the specific steps by which hepatitis E causes extrahepatic (outside the liver) neurological problems.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who recently had hepatitis E infection or who developed unexplained neurological symptoms after hepatitis E would be the most relevant candidates for future related clinical work.
Not a fit: People without hepatitis E infection or whose neurological symptoms are known to come from another cause are unlikely to benefit from this research directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could explain why hepatitis E sometimes causes neurological complications and point to targets to prevent or treat those problems.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies in infected pigs and lab-grown brain cells have shown HEV can reach and inflame brain tissue, but using gerbils to map the exact damage pathways is a new approach.
Where this research is happening
Blacksburg, United States
- Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ — Blacksburg, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Meng, Xiang-Jin — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Meng, Xiang-Jin
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 below.