Tracking how viruses move inside real tissues
Official title: Unraveling the Viral Infection Pathway with Virus-locked Observation
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11328790 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are developing a high-speed way to watch individual viruses move deep inside tissues to better understand how infections begin.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2017 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $386,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM124868-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11328790 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with or at risk for infections where the virus interacts with epithelial barriers in the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract.
✕Less likely to help
People without exposure to relevant viral infections or without access to specialized imaging contexts may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds on a technology that follows single viruses in 3D inside living tissue, not just near the surface. It aims to observe steps like entry, fusion, and movement through epithelial barriers in real environments such as lungs or gut. By linking real-time viral dynamics to the surrounding cellular context, it hopes to reveal how infections start and spread in more natural settings. The work focuses on deep tissue observations using advanced imaging to capture fast viral behavior that standard methods miss.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to better-targeted antiviral strategies by revealing exactly where and how viruses initiate infection in human tissues.
How similar studies have gone: Previous advances in single-virus tracking showed new insights, and this project extends observation depth and context to more realistic tissue environments.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Welsher, Kevin — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Welsher, Kevin
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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.