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National Institutes of Health awards $ 7.5 million grant to Ankur Singh
The funding, provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), supports two projects aimed at replicating human immune responses in a lab environment.
Bioengineer Ankur Singh / Image: Ankur Singh
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $7.5 million to Ankur Singh, a professor at Georgia Tech and Emory University, for his pioneering work in developing human immune organoids—lab-grown models of the immune system that could revolutionize vaccine development and aging-related immune research.
The funding, provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), supports two projects aimed at replicating human immune responses in a lab environment. These breakthroughs could improve vaccine efficacy, particularly in aging populations, whose immune systems weaken over time, a news release stated.
"Little advancement has been made in this area due to the complexity of the immune system and the challenges of recreating it outside the body," said Singh, who also directs the Center for Immunoengineering at Georgia Tech. "This funding will help us develop technology that could address emerging infections and strengthen our response to them."
"Reflecting on the pandemic, we relied on years of research to develop vaccines and understand immune responses,” he added. “This new technology will allow us to innovate more rapidly and take bold steps toward creating an immune system outside the body.”
Singh’s first project focuses on creating germinal center organoids, structures in lymph nodes where B cells mature to fight infections. By using a polymer-based gel to simulate human lymphoid tissue, his team aims to create a platform that could enhance vaccine development and deepen the understanding of immune function.
The second project tackles immune system decline in aging adults. Singh’s lab is developing an "aged B cell follicle" organoid to investigate the causes of weakened immune responses in older individuals. This tool could lead to personalized vaccination strategies for the elderly, improving public health outcomes.
“This research has the potential to transform how we approach immune system aging and vaccine development,” said Andrés García, executive director of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and a collaborator on the project.
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