Every year influenza poses a major threat to the health of the US and world populations –potentially threatening to develop into a pandemic. Current large-scale models of Influenza A infection focus on disease dissemination and the evaluation of potential strategies such as vaccination and distribution of antibiotics. Such models could greatly improve preparedness. However, the accuracy of such models is limited by their simplistic treatment of animal-to-human and human-to-human transmission, host-pathogen interaction, incubation time, infectivity, and disease severity.

To address these limitations, Gilles Clermont, MD and his colleagues have been awarded a $1.5 million dollar, 4-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (1 R01 GM083602) to develop models of Influenza A infection in a single host. They will employ novel quantitative methods to quantify uncertainty in model predictions. Furthermore, many of the specific models and methods developed within the framework of this grant will be applicable to the investigation of acute lung injury beyond the specific context of Influenza virus. We congratulate Dr. Clermont on this important accomplishment.