Darrell Kotton, MD
Boston University
Research Project:
Developing Model of Human Alveolar Type 1 Cells For Understanding Viral Infections
Grant Awarded:
- Emerging Respiratory Pathogen Award
Research Topics:
- basic biologic mechanisms
- modeling
Research Diseases:
- ARDS
- COVID-19
- influenza
- pneumonia
- respiratory viruses
To tackle viral respiratory infections effectively, we need new human model systems. These systems will help us understand how diseases develop and allow us to test potential drugs. We need access to test tube model systems of the human distal lung (the lung’s alveoli, or air sacs), since the most devastating and deadly infections target alveolar epithelial type 1 (AT1) and type 2 (AT2) cells as the likely initial sites of entry of viruses. However, to date access to human AT1 cells for modeling any type of human infection has not been possible, severely limiting our understanding of how this cell type -- which covers the vast majority of the distal lung’s surface area-- might respond to infection. We plan to develop the first known models of human AT1 infections with multiple respiratory viruses and to define the cell-specific and virus-specific responses of this key cell type for the first time.
Page last updated: October 7, 2024
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