Cooperative Agreement U19AI144184

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $399,100 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Program (CFDA 93.855) to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska's University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Division. This 2-year project will investigate how the pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis manipulates the host cell protein PICALM to facilitate its own replication and survival, while minimizing host cell stress. The research aims...

This $821,426 Project Grant, awarded on January 16, 2025 by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under CFDA 93.286 - Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health, is funding research to develop nanostructures that selectively target bacteria and create computational models to predict their activity and behavior. The key objectives are to: Use computer-guided design to create and test antimicrobial nanostructures against...

This Project Grant award of $305,000 from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program will support the development of a novel mammalian cell-based nano-biological coating for implantable medical devices at Novaurum Biosciences Incorporated in Somerville, MA. The project aims to address the critical issue of implant-related infections, which cost the U.S. healthcare system over $8.6 billion annually, by creating a biocompatible and...

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET), awarded a $451,093 Project Grant to the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) to investigate the interactions between flexible nanofilaments and biological cell membranes. The research aims to understand the mechanisms by which these nanofilaments adhere to and induce deformation in human and animal cells, leading to the organization and self-assembly of the...

This Project Grant award of $305,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program supports the development of a platform of biomimetic mucins to address recurrent bacterial infections. The awardee, Kapha Bio, Inc., aims to create a library of biomimetic mucins that can be incorporated into personal care and dietary supplements to restore mucosal tissue homeostasis and reduce infection and recurrence rates for conditions like gum...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) provides $195,896 to the University of Washington to conduct research on prevention strategies for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections. The key objectives are to: 1) characterize the frequency and factors associated with antibiotic use among men who have sex with men in Seattle, to inform the potential utility of doxycycline prophylaxis; 2) develop...

Acatechol, Inc. was awarded a $274,982 National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to develop an innovative anti-infective coating for Foley catheters. The project aims to create a hybrid coating that combines biofilm-repellent and antimicrobial properties to provide prolonged resistance against pathogen colonization and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). This work is being conducted under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and...

This $145,745 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) supports research by Oklahoma State University to investigate how the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium, the leading cause of sexually transmitted infections worldwide, modulates the host's immune response and inflammasome activation. The research aims to elucidate the mechanism by which a specific Chlamydia protein, CT226, interacts with host...

This $249,999 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of a bioengineered nanobarrier spray to protect against SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections of the nasopharynx. Funded under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the two-year award to the University of Southern California will support computational modeling of nanobarrier delivery via nasal applicator as well as efficacy testing in a coronavirus mouse model. Specifically, the university researchers will...

This Project Grant award of $242,410 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) will support research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore to identify specific features of the vaginal microbiome and immune milieu that contribute to spontaneous clearance of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections. The key objectives are to evaluate associations between (1) bacterial growth rates, (2) Th1 and...