How the immune system causes muscle damage after the flu
Official title: Innate Immune Function in Influenza-Associated Myopathy
Funded at University of Maine Orono · NIH-11335611 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at how immune cells attack muscle during influenza infections to help people who get muscle pain, weakness, or high muscle enzymes after the flu.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maine Orono NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Orono, United States) |
| Project start | April 5, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $288,133 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM144265-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11335611 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who develop new-onset muscle pain, weakness, or markedly elevated creatine kinase during or shortly after an influenza infection would be most relevant to this research.
✕Less likely to help
People with chronic muscle diseases unrelated to influenza or muscle symptoms from noninfectious causes are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If you get muscle pain or weakness after the flu, this project uses tiny transparent zebrafish so scientists can film the infection and immune response as it happens. They infect zebrafish with influenza A, tag immune cells like neutrophils and macrophages, and watch when and how those cells enter and damage muscle. The team also compares findings to human markers such as elevated creatine kinase to link the fish results to people. The goal is to pinpoint whether virus or the immune response causes most muscle harm and to find targets to reduce that damage.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to ways to prevent or reduce immune-driven muscle damage after influenza, lowering pain, weakness, and complications.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal and clinical reports suggest immune cells can worsen muscle injury after viral infection, but live imaging in zebrafish to track this process is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maine Orono
Orono, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: King, Benjamin L — University of Maine Orono
- Study coordinator: King, Benjamin L
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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.