Jenny Ting, PhD (Distinguished Professor, Department of Genetics, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, LCCC) was awarded a R56 grant titled “Role and Mitigation of Inflammasomes and Inflammation During COVID-19” from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Bev Koller (PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Genetics) serves as Co-Principal Investigator with Dr. Ting. Mark Heise (PhD, Professor, Department of Genetics, Department of Microbiology & Immunology), Scott Randell (PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Physiology) and Richard Boucher (MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Director of Marsico Lung Institute) are Co-Investigators on this award.
The goal of this study is to understand the role of inflammasomes that are activated by SARS-CoV-2. The cytokine storm caused by inflammasome activation by SARS-CoV-2 can result in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), one of the most detrimental outcomes in patients with COVID-19 infection.