Uncovering hidden factors that shape influenza vaccine responses in older adults who are healthy or obese
Official title: Uncovering latent factors underlying weak and robust responses to influenza vaccine in healthy and obese older adults
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11367479 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Scientists are studying why flu vaccines work differently in older adults who are healthy or have obesity, using high-tech blood and cell analyses to look for clues.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | July 13, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $756,226 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI170108-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367479 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults 21+ who are healthy weight or obese and receive the advanced-generation influenza vaccine.
✕Less likely to help
Participants who do not fit the study's age and weight criteria or who do not provide immune samples may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project will analyze immune cells from adults 21 and older, focusing on older adults who are healthy weight or obese, to understand why some people produce stronger vaccine responses than others. Researchers will use deep molecular profiling and computational methods to identify patterns in B cells and other immune components after vaccination with advanced-generation influenza vaccines. The goal is to find latent factors that predict who responds well and who has weaker protection, which could inform personalized vaccination strategies in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to more effective influenza vaccination strategies tailored to an individual's immune profile.
How similar studies have gone: Preceding research using similar extremes-of-response frameworks has yielded meaningful insights into immune states associated with vaccine responsiveness.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Alcorn, John F — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Alcorn, John F
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding Flu Vaccine Protection in Older Adults
This research wants to understand why some older adults get strong protection from the flu vaccine while others get weaker protection, especially if they are also obese.
-
Understanding why some older adults respond better to the flu vaccine than others
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-
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Understanding flu and COVID-19 vaccine responses in people and in the lab
Researchers at Stanford explore how flu and COVID-19 vaccines work in people and in lab tests to improve protection for adults.
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Surveillance and preparedness for flu and other respiratory pathogens in Kenya
A US-based research grant aims to improve how Kenya detects and prepares for influenza and other respiratory diseases to protect people there and global health.
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.