How the nose's support cells respond to COVID-19 and cause loss of smell
Official title: Innate immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the olfactory epithelium
Funded at University of California at Davis · NIH-11308714 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at how support cells in the nose react to COVID-19 to help explain sudden loss of smell in people who get the virus.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California at Davis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Davis, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $594,228 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC019769-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308714 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people who have had recent or past COVID-19 with sudden loss of smell and who are willing to provide nasal samples or participate in follow-up testing.
✕Less likely to help
People without COVID-19-related smell loss or whose anosmia is due to head injury, chronic sinus disease, or other nonviral causes are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
If I had COVID-related loss of smell, I would be told that researchers are focusing on the cells that support smell-sensing neurons in the lining of the nose to find out how the virus triggers inflammation. They will profile which immune signals and genes are turned on in those support cells, grow primary support cell cultures in the lab to test viral recognition pathways, and study how those responses change the function of smell neurons. The work uses detailed molecular analyses and laboratory models to connect localized infection with broader changes in smell receptor activity. This research is centered at UC Davis and may use animal models and primary tissue or cell samples to uncover mechanisms behind anosmia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to prevent or speed recovery from COVID-related loss of smell.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies showed support cells express the SARS-CoV-2 receptor and that viral infections can suppress olfactory receptor genes, but direct links between support-cell immune responses and human smell loss remain underexplored.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California at Davis
Davis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gong, Qizhi — University of California at Davis
- Study coordinator: Gong, Qizhi
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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.