Immunomics and Epigenomics Core for MRSA and Candida Blood Infections
Official title: Immunomics Research Core
Funded at Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center · NIH-11350981 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A center-funded project will study how the immune system and epigenetic changes relate to MRSA and Candida bloodstream infections and how these factors affect antibiotic response.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Torrance, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $186,103 |
| NIH project number | 5U19AI172713-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11350981 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with MRSA bloodstream infection or Candida albicans candidemia, and their samples for sequencing and immune profiling.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose infections resolve quickly or who do not contribute samples may not directly benefit from this core.
What this research studies
This project centers a core that runs specialized immune, genetic, and epigenetic tests on blood and pathogen samples from patients with MRSA or Candida bloodstream infections. Using long-read sequencing, transcriptome and epigenome profiling, and chromatin accessibility assays, the core will link microbial genomes and host responses to patient outcomes. The work aims to map how immune signals and epigenetic patterns influence antibiotic persistence and resolution of infection. By providing standardized assays and expert analysis, the IEC Core supports the overall program’s goals of understanding factors that shape treatment success.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from a deeper understanding of why some infections persist and how to tailor treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows that integrating host and pathogen genomics to understand infection outcomes can reveal actionable insights, though this exact combination is specialized.
Where this research is happening
-
Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cappelletti, Monica — Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Cappelletti, Monica
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.