Virtual patient groups to understand immune causes of severe flu
Virtual Patient Cohorts to Illuminate Immunologic Drivers of Influenza Severity
This project builds computer-created patient groups to learn how different immune responses make some people sicker from influenza so doctors can better spot who is at high risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11091996 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I were part of this work, researchers would combine real immune data with new computer models to recreate lots of different "virtual" people who get the flu. They will simulate how age, background immunity, and other factors change immune responses and which patterns lead to mild versus severe illness. By testing many scenarios in silico, the team hopes to point to immune signals and pathways that drive worse outcomes. The work focuses on building prediction tools from multiple data sources rather than testing treatments in people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with recent or well-documented influenza infections or those at higher risk for severe flu (for example older adults or people with chronic lung or immune conditions) who can share medical records or samples for model building.
Not a fit: People without influenza-related data or those seeking immediate therapeutic benefit should not expect direct personal treatments from this computational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify people at higher risk for severe flu and guide more targeted prevention or early treatment strategies.
How similar studies have performed: Related computational and virtual-cohort approaches have shown promise in studying immune responses for other infections, but applying them specifically to predict individual influenza severity is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Memphis, United States
- University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr — Memphis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Amber M — University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
- Study coordinator: Smith, Amber M
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.