Document text
Principal Investigator: CHIUNG-YU HUNG
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $1,357,000
Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Summary (Overall)
San Antonio has a rich tradition of excellence in the field of Medical Mycology, including
Coccidioidomycosis, also referred to as Valley Fever. These infections affect hundreds of thousands of
healthy and immunocompromised individuals in the endemic areas of the arid Southwest U.S., with a
majority of cases in California and Arizona. There are very few drugs to treat these infections and no
vaccine is available. Growing levels of antibiotic resistance are a major concern, and the latest data on the
expansion of the geographical area of infection is very worrisome. To address these major shortcomings,
we propose the establishment of the San Antonio-based Coccidioidomycosis Collaborative Research
Center (SA-CCRC). The new Center will be a highly collaborative place for synergistic multi- and
interdisciplinary interactions by members of the Center, which include highly experienced investigators in
the field of Coccidioides research, as well as others with substantial knowledge and/or technical expertise
in other areas whose talents are being attracted to this field for the very first time. Overall, the SA-CCRC
creates an optimal cohesive infrastructure to support integrated research, leverages resources at each of
the participating sites and organizations, and also extends to the establishment of novel academic-
industrial partnerships. Our Center has a strong translational emphasis, being distinctively focused on the
development of antifungal drugs and vaccines against coccidioidomycosis. The center is anchored by an
administrative core which will serve a central hub for providing the necessary organizational, administrative
and financial oversight structure for the Center’s day-to-day operations. The overall objectives for the SA-
CCRC are: i) to advance basic, translational and clinical research in the field of Coccidioidomycosis via
investigator-driven research projects, ii) to adapt, develop and implement state of the art techniques to the
Coccidioidomycosis field of research in support of the three different projects and the coccidioidomycosis
community at large, and iii) to administer a Development and Research Program for pilot funding and
mentoring of junior investigators and those new to the field of coccidioidomycosis. Altogether, the proposed
SA-CCRC program will fill critical voids and will have a powerful and sustainable effect on the field of
coccidioidomycosis research.
Terms: <Address><Administrative Management><Affect><Antibiotic Resistance><Area><Arizona><Azole resistance><Azole resistant><Basic Research><Basic Science><Bio-Informatics><Bioinformatics><C immitis><C posadasii><C. immitis><C. posadasii><California><Cell Body><Cells><Clinical><Clinical Research><Clinical Study><Coccidioides><Coccidioides immitis><Coccidioides posadasii><Coccidioidomycosis><Communities><Data><Desert rheumatism><Development><Development and Research><Disease Outcome><Drug Screening><Drugs><Ensure><Evaluation><Funding><Fungus Diseases><Genomics><Geographic Area><Geographic Locations><Geographic Region><Geographical Location><Goals><Health><Health Care Costs><Health Costs><Healthcare Costs><High Throughput Assay><Immune mediated therapy><Immunity><Immunocompromised><Immunocompromised Host><Immunocompromised Patient><Immunologically Directed Therapy><Immunosuppressed Host><Immunotherapeutic agent><Immunotherapy><In Vitro><Individual><Infection><Infrastructure><Institution><Investigator-Initiated Research><Investigators><Knowledge><Libraries><Lung><Lung Respiratory System><Medical><Medication><Mentors><Messenger RNA><Modeling><Morbidity><Morbidity - disease rate><Mycology><Mycoses><Office of Administrative Management><Persons><Pharmaceutical Preparations><Predisposition><Prevention><R & D><R&D><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Research><Research Grants><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Research Resources><Researchers><Resistance to antibiotics><Resistant to antibiotics><Resources><Risk><San Joaquin Valley fever><Scientist><Site><Southwest U.S.><Southwest US><Southwestern United States><Structure><Susceptibility><Talents><Technical Expertise><Techniques><Technology><Testing><The science of Mycology><Therapeutic><Therapeutic Fungicides><Time><Training><Translational Research><Translational Science><Treatment outcome><United States><Vaccines><Valley Fever><anti-fungal><anti-fungal agents><anti-fungal drug><antibiotic drug resistance><antibiotic resistant><arid areas><arid land><arid region><career development><clinical significance><clinically significant><desert fever><design><designing><developmental><drug development><drug/agent><experience><fungal infection><fungus infection><geographic site><high throughput screening><immune drugs><immune therapeutic approach><immune therapeutic interventions><immune therapeutic regimens><immune therapeutic strategy><immune therapy><immune-based therapeutics><immune-based therapies><immune-based treatments><immuno therapy><immunologic therapeutics><immunosuppressed patient><immunotherapeutics><immunotherapy agent><improved><in vivo><industrial partnership><industry partner><industry partnership><instrumentation><mRNA><member><new technology><next generation><novel><novel technologies><operation><operations><programs><pulmonary><research and development><resistance to azole><resistant to azole><technical skills><therapeutic agent development><therapeutic development><translation research><translational investigation><translational pipeline><translational spectrum><vector-based vaccine>