Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Engineering vCCI Binding Specificity for Chemokines via Combined Computational and Experimental Approaches

Award Number: R16AI201141
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/20/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2030

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Engineering vCCI Binding Specificity for Chemokines via Combined Computational and Experimental Approaches - The immune system consists of the complex interaction of dozens of protein signals which can be subverted by interaction with pathogen proteins. An important example is the protein vCCI (viral CC chemokine inhibitor), a virally-encoded protein that binds small proteins in the immune system called chemokines. Because these chemokines are mediators of inflammation, vCCI is a potent anti- inflammatory protein with possible uses against a variety of pathologies, including traumatic brain injury, arthritis, and asthma. vCCI provides an excellent opportunity to train students and also to carry out basic research on protein-protein interactions, with the goal of understanding the foundation of its broad binding ability, as well as moving forward to engineering vCCI interactions for desired outcomes. We propose to engineer mutants that alter the specificity and breadth of the chemokine binding by vCCI. For each Aim, we will use Molecular Dynamics simulations to gain an understanding of likely points of contact and areas of interactions. These results will be used to design variant vCCI and chemokines with modified binding affinity and target specificity. These will be tested experimentally by making protein variants and characterizing the resultant binding interactions using NMR, fluorescence, and BLI (biolayer interferometry). A significant product of this study will be an amino-acid level “map” of the interactions that promote or inhibit binding between specific vCCI's and chemokines. In Specific Aim 1, we combine simulations and experiment design variants of natively non- binding chemokines to give them high affinity to vCCI. This proof of concept leads to Aim 2 where we design variants of vCCI with narrowly selective chemokine affinities to demonstrate the ability to engineer vCCI for eventual therapeutic relevance. This Aim will extend to in vitro testing for signaling by chemokine receptors to demonstrate the therapeutic plausibility of using engineered vCCI proteins to reduce inflammation, such as in traumatic brain injury (TBI). By combining a variety of computational and experimental methods to address questions ranging from basic protein biophysics to developing potential therapeutics, this project provides an excellent opportunity to train students in hypothesis-driven research with important biomedical outcomes. Taken together, these two aims would demonstrate full control in engineering the binding specificity of vCCI, understanding each main binding site in the protein, and utilizing that knowledge for obtaining specificity of action. Graduate and undergraduate students from UC Merced will be the main researchers on this project, with expected summer participation by high school students as well.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $121,278 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95343	MERCED	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	7/22/2026	NEW	$121,278
														Subtotal = $121,278

Grand Total All Awards = $121,278

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Engineering vCCI Binding Specificity for Chemokines via Combined Computational and Experimental Approaches

Award Number: R16AI201141

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/20/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2030

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer