Award
NIH Reporter #5F30AI188777-02
Comprehensively mapping the functional and antigenic effects of mutations to the Lassa virus glycoprotein complex
Recipient
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
Award Amount
$34,114.00
Ceiling
$34,114.00
Awarded
August 03, 2026
Identifier
5F30AI188777-02
NIH funded project to study mutations in Lassa virus glycoprotein complex to understand virus entry and antibody neutralization, aiding vaccine and therapeutic development.
Description
This project aims to map the functional and antigenic effects of mutations in the glycoprotein complex (GPC) of the Lassa virus, which causes Lassa fever. The study will use pseudovirus deep mutational scanning to understand how amino acid mutations affect virus entry into cells and neutralization by antibodies. Objectives include characterizing functional constraints across GPC and Lassa virus lineages, quantifying how mutations impact antibody-based neutralization from monoclonal and polyclonal sera, assessing how natural diversity affects the efficacy of potential therapeutics, and integrating data into an interactive Lassa virus phylogenetic tree available on Nextstrain.