BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application

Olszewski博士是一位免疫学家，在免疫学研究方面拥有超过25年的经验。 肺部、CNS和全身水平的炎性/感染性疾病超过20年 在安阿伯VAHS的研究。总体职业目标是扩大对主持人的了解 病原体相互作用，特别是微生物和宿主来源的信号对病原体命运的影响。 免疫反应。了解这些相互作用将为 开发安全有效的免疫调节疗法， 抗微生物药物治疗持续性感染的有效性。被提名人的实验室 专门从事动物建模和转化研究，将这些原则应用于更广泛的 最近的临床数据显示， 他的研究主要集中在入侵真菌C. 新生儿和哺乳动物的免疫系统。侵袭性真菌感染的研究是 特别感兴趣的VA，因为高于平均率的免疫功能低下， 退伍军人中的患者和暴露于各种地方病和环境的风险增加 真菌由于地点和条件的军事服务，有利于真菌暴露。 不幸的是，侵袭性真菌感染具有不可接受的高死亡率，这是由于 抗真菌药物的有效性有限，毒性和真菌生物体的高潜力， 对这些药物产生抗药性。因此，了解以下因素的影响至关重要： 从宿主的自然机制看真菌病的免疫调节 防御，真菌表现出的免疫逃避机制，并探索临床前 免疫调节治疗的方法。VA BLR&D的长期支持是一个 关键因素，使我们的小组建立自己的领导人在隐球菌和 真菌免疫学其他工作领域包括临床研究，探讨发病机制 COVID 19患者中的OD ARDS和GI道感染。VA RCS奖将允许 被提名人继续他富有成效的研究生涯，成功地指导新科学家， 为退伍军人事务部及其他地区的研究界提供服务。

Dr. Olszewski is an immunologist with over 25 years of experience in studies of inflammatory/infectious diseases in the lungs, CNS and at the systemic level with over 20 years of research at the Ann Arbor VAHS. Overall career goal is to expand the understanding of host pathogen interactions, specifically the effect of microbe- and host-derived signals on the fate of the immune response. Understanding of these interactions will create a foundation for the development of safe and effective immunomodulatory therapies that will greatly enhance the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapeutics in persistent infections. Nominee’s lab has specialized in animal modeling and translational studies, applying these principles to a broader range of diseases as shown by more recent clinical data. His studies have mostly focused on host pathogen interactions between invasive fungus C. neoformans and the mammalian immune system. The studies of invasive fungal infections are of specific interest to the VA, because of the higher than average rate of immunocompromised patients among veterans and increased risk of exposure to various endemic and environmental fungi due to locations and conditions of military service that favor fungal exposures. Unfortunately, the invasive fungal infections have unacceptably high mortality rates, due to limited effectiveness of antifungal drugs, toxicity, and the high potential of fungal organisms to develop resistance to these drugs. Thus, it is crucial to understand the effects of immunomodulation on fungal disease from the perspective of the natural mechanisms of host defenses, mechanisms of immune evasion exhibited by fungi, and to explore pre-clinical approaches of immunomodulatory therapies. The long-standing support of VA BLR&D was one of the crucial factors that allowed our group to establish itself among leaders in cryptococcal and fungal immunology. Additional areas of work involve clinical studies looking into pathogenesis od ARDS in COVID19 patients and infections of GI track. The VA RCS Award will allow the nominee to continue his productive research career, successful mentoring of new scientists and to provide service to the research community at the VA and beyond.