This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.The purpose of this research project is to study the interactions of the fungus, Aspergillus Fumigatus, with endothelial cells. Our hypothesis is that the interactions of A. Fumigatus with endothelial cells during the process of angioninvasion are central to the pathogenesis of invasive Aspergillosis. For the proposed studies, the endothelial cells will be harvested from the veins within human umbilical cords and grown in tissue culture. Drs. John Edwards, Scott Filler and colleagues at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have requested assistance from the General Clinical Research Center at Cedars-Sinai in collecting umbilical cords. Umbilical cords, that would otherwise be discarded following normal deliveries, can be used to isolate endothelial cells (cells that line the inside of blood vessels). These cells can then be used in a variety of research projects aimed at understanding the basic biology of fungal infections. The number of deliveries occurring at Harbor-UCLA is not sufficient to provide the numbers of endothelial cells required for their research, while the very large volume of deliveries at Cedars-Sinai offers an ideal location for these collections.
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