Understanding Immune System Weakness in Long-Term Hepatitis C-like Infections
Defining Immune Dysfunction in Chronic Hepacivirus Infection at Single Cell Resolution
This project aims to understand how the immune system weakens during long-term infections similar to Hepatitis C, using a new animal model.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Fellowship grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11163220 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Our immune system's T cells usually fight off infections, but with long-term conditions like Hepatitis C, these cells can become "exhausted" and stop working effectively, allowing the virus to stay in the body. It has been challenging to fully understand this immune weakness because there haven't been good animal models that truly reflect human Hepatitis C. This project uses a new mouse model infected with a virus similar to Hepatitis C to closely watch how the immune system changes over time. By studying these changes at a very detailed level, we hope to uncover the specific ways the immune system becomes dysfunctional.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients living with chronic Hepatitis C or other long-term viral infections that cause immune exhaustion could potentially benefit from future treatments developed from this foundational knowledge.
Not a fit: Patients with acute viral infections or those whose conditions are not related to T cell exhaustion would likely not directly benefit from this specific line of research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a better understanding of why the immune system fails to clear chronic viral infections, potentially guiding the development of new treatments for Hepatitis C and similar conditions.
How similar studies have performed: While the concept of T cell exhaustion in chronic infections is well-established, this project uses a novel animal model to characterize the immune response at an unprecedented level of detail.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bobrowski, Tesia — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Bobrowski, Tesia
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 below.