Understanding radiation’s impact on immune cells and how to counter it
Official title: Mechanisms of Radiation-Induced Innate Immune Dysfunction and Its Countermeasures
Funded at Feinstein Institute for Medical Research · NIH-11471699 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This NIH grant looks at how radiation hurts the body’s first responders to infection and tests ways to fix it, with potential benefits for people exposed to high radiation like after accidents or disasters.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Feinstein Institute for Medical Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Manhasset, United States) |
| Project start | July 21, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $418,748 |
| NIH project number | 3U01AI170018-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11471699 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be individuals or populations at risk of radiation exposure or experts developing countermeasures, including patients in future translation studies.
✕Less likely to help
People without exposure risk or without relevance to radiation-induced immune dysfunction may not benefit.
What this research studies
After high radiation exposure, neutrophils drop rapidly and specialized macrophages take over to control bacteria. The project studies how radiation affects the phagocytic function of tissue-resident macrophages and whether blocking a harmful mediator called eCIRP can improve their ability to clear bacteria. It uses mouse models to explore the role of the eCIRP-TREM-1 pathway in macrophage dysfunction and bacterial clearance after radiation. The goal is to identify countermeasures that could be translated to improve survival and infection control in irradiated individuals. This work could pave the way for new treatments that protect immune function after radiation exposure.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could lead to therapies that preserve or restore immune defense after radiation exposure, reducing infection risk and improving survival.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical data in mice suggest that targeting eCIRP and the TREM-1 pathway can improve bacterial clearance after radiation exposure.
Where this research is happening
-
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Manhasset, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Ping — Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
- Study coordinator: Wang, Ping
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.