Pediatric Influenza Portal

St. Jude is a global leader in influenza research as a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Influenza and a National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR). Influenza is a major public health burden that significantly affects both at-risk and healthy populations, and researchers at St. Jude hope to better understand the effects of influenza on the human immune response. To achieve this goal, we have established human cohorts around the globe to capture naturally acquired influenza infection and collect pertinent sample types. These samples are then used to characterize the immune response to influenza infection using various techniques including those to measure viral titers, cellular responses, antibody responses, and more.

The Pediatric Influenza Portal (PIP) provides data from long-term studies in humans to define how influenza affects the developing immune system. This research will improve our understanding of severe disease in both children and adults and aid in the creation of better preventative strategies and treatments. The PIP aims to provide investigators with ways to easily analyze the data from our human cohorts using question-specific parameters. For instance, if an investigator were only interested in individuals under the age of 12, PIP’s structure will allow them to select data from only those individuals to take forward to data visualization and interpretation. Data will be added as these cohorts are built and as soon as they are available. The portal combines data from diverse studies, including ongoing work in the DIVINCI Study and FLU09.