{"676947":{"#nid":"676947","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NIH Awards $7.5 Million to Ankur Singh for Pioneering Human Immune Organoid Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $7.5 million to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/singh\u0022\u003EAnkur Singh\u003C\/a\u003E, Carl Ring Family Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E (ME) and professor in\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Ethe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory, for his pioneering research in creating functional models of the human immune system in the lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe funding, sourced from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, supports two projects aimed at developing human immune organoids, which are sophisticated models engineered to replicate and study the natural human immune responses. The research could revolutionize vaccine development and immune system research, particularly for aging populations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Little advancement has been made in this area due to the complex nature of the immune system and the challenges of making a functional human immune tissue outside the body,\u201d said Singh, who is also director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/immunoengineering.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Immunoengineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech. \u201cI am grateful to the NIH for supporting our work, which will enable us to develop an advanced technology that can help solve the problems of emerging infections and enhance our timely response to them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuilding Next-Generation Human Immune Organoids\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe goal of Singh\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reporter.nih.gov\/search\/tbDEhMfzjEe8zOsKGDpQzw\/project-details\/10996228\u0022\u003Efirst project\u003C\/a\u003E is to replicate the complex environment of germinal centers (GCs) \u2014 the sites within lymph nodes where B cells are trained to produce the antibodies crucial for fighting infections. While animal models and current engineered systems have offered insights, they fall short in recreating the intricate processes that occur in human GCs, which limits their utility in vaccine development and understanding immune responses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESingh\u2019s method involves using a hydrated polymer-based gel material to create a structure that mimics the environment of lymphoid tissue in the body. By adding human immune cells (like B cells, T cells, and support cells) into this gel, the project tries to recreate how B cells mature into specialized immune cells that are important for a strong and lasting immune response. This advancement will allow scientists to grow and study these cells in the lab and use them for better vaccine testing, therapeutic development including cell-based therapies, and to deepen our understanding of the immune system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reporter.nih.gov\/search\/tbDEhMfzjEe8zOsKGDpQzw\/project-details\/10996708\u0022\u003Esecond project\u003C\/a\u003E addresses a pressing issue in public health: the decline in immune function with age. As people age, their ability to mount effective immune responses against new infections diminishes, leading to higher mortality rates from diseases such as influenza and Covid-19. However, the underlying mechanisms \u2014 whether due to defects in aged B cells, impaired T cells, or changes in the lymphoid tissue environment \u2014 remain poorly understood.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESingh\u2019s research proposes the development of an \u201caged B cell follicle\u201d organoid, a novel platform that replicates the lymphoid microenvironment of older individuals. This system will allow researchers to dissect the factors driving age-related declines in immune function, offering a new tool for studying how aged B cells respond to antigens and identifying molecular targets to rejuvenate immune responses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Pioneering Step Forward in Immunology Research\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe broader impact of Singh\u2019s organoid research is wide-ranging. By enabling the study of human immune responses in a controlled, reproducible environment, the organoids could dramatically accelerate the development of vaccines and immunotherapies. The models could also provide new insights into whether a particular vaccine will be effective for a given individual, potentially reducing the time and cost of clinical trials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESingh\u2019s aged immune organoid platform could serve as a rapid screening tool for identifying older individuals who are likely to respond poorly to vaccines, enabling more personalized and effective vaccination strategies for that population. The models could be particularly useful in the context of pandemics or seasonal flu outbreaks, where timely and effective immunization is critical.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy securing this substantial NIH funding, Singh\u2019s work is poised to make a significant impact on both the scientific community and public health,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda\u003C\/a\u003E, executive director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/bio\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E, Regents\u0027 Professor in ME, the Petit Director\u0027s Chair in Bioengineering and Bioscience, and a collaborator on Singh\u2019s first project. \u201cThis innovative immunoengineering research not only promises to advance our understanding of immune system function and aging, but also holds the potential to transform vaccine development, offering new hope for more effective disease prevention strategies across the lifespan.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe NIH\u2019s investment in Singh\u2019s research underscores a growing recognition of the need for innovative approaches to studying human immunity. The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act 2.0, for example, promotes the use of organs-on-chip technologies in the service of drug development. As organoid technologies continue to evolve, they could come to represent the future of immunological research, providing powerful new tools to combat infectious diseases and improve health outcomes globally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Reflecting on the pandemic, we relied on years of research to develop vaccines and understand immune responses,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThis new technology will allow us to innovate more rapidly and take bold steps toward creating an immune system outside the body.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E---\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKey collaborators on the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reporter.nih.gov\/search\/tbDEhMfzjEe8zOsKGDpQzw\/project-details\/10996228\u0022\u003Efirst project\u003C\/a\u003E include Andr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda; Ahmet Coskun, the Bernie-Marcus Early-Career Professor in BME; and Dr. Ignacio Sanz, Mason I. Lowance Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and chief of the chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Emory School of Medicine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKey collaborators on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/reporter.nih.gov\/search\/tbDEhMfzjEe8zOsKGDpQzw\/project-details\/10996708\u0022\u003Ethe second project\u003C\/a\u003E include Coskun; Jeremy Boss, professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Emory School of Medicine; and Ranjan Sen, senior investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology at NIH\u2019s National Institute on Aging.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe research projects aim to create models that advance our understanding of immune system function and aging and have the potential to transform vaccine development.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The research projects aim to create models that advance our understanding of immune system function and aging and have the potential to transform vaccine development."}],"uid":"36123","created_gmt":"2024-09-18 18:26:37","changed_gmt":"2024-09-18 18:46:50","author":"Catherine Barzler","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675019":{"id":"675019","type":"image","title":"Singh_Lab.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EBioengineer Ankur Singh works to create functional models of the human immune system in the lab. (Credit: Ankur Singh)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1726684291","gmt_created":"2024-09-18 18:31:31","changed":"1726684291","gmt_changed":"2024-09-18 18:31:31","alt":"Ankur Singh in a lab","file":{"fid":"258605","name":"Singh_Lab.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/18\/Singh_Lab.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/18\/Singh_Lab.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1653397,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/09\/18\/Singh_Lab.png?itok=ZpjsT36B"}},"675021":{"id":"675021","type":"image","title":"Pic2.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMicroscopy image of a human tonsil organ with B cell follicle and surrounding cells. Visible are stromal cells (red), proliferative B cells (green), and the nucleus (aqua blue). (Credit: Deepali Balasubramani\/Ankur\u0026nbsp;Singh)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1726684899","gmt_created":"2024-09-18 18:41:39","changed":"1726684899","gmt_changed":"2024-09-18 18:41:39","alt":"Microscopy image of a human tonsil organ with B cell follicle and surrounding cells. The image shows stromal cells (red), proliferative B cells (green), and the nucleus (aqua blue). (Credit: Deepali Balasubramani\/Ankur Singh)","file":{"fid":"258606","name":"Pic2.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/18\/Pic2.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/09\/18\/Pic2.png","mime":"image\/png","size":4931406,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/09\/18\/Pic2.png?itok=ZEH49Jkf"}}},"media_ids":["675019","675021"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECatherine Barzler, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:catherine.barzler@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ecatherine.barzler@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["catherine.barzler@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}