Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Pittsburgh received a $182,618 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), effective May 15, 2026, with a completion date of April 30, 2031. This award supports the largest prospective population-based genomic epidemiologic study of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in the United States. The research leverages a robust collection of HMPV-positive clinical samples with corresponding patient data from seven U.S. cities to identify genomic factors that enable strain dominance, determine differential circulation patterns among HMPV genomic subgroups within populations, and establish associations between viral strain characteristics and disease severity outcomes.

The project delivers both research findings and investigator career development products. Primary research deliverables include genomic sequencing analyses, identification of viral mutations associated with strain dominance, epidemiological data characterizing disease progression and patient factors related to infection outcomes, and scientific knowledge applicable to preventive and therapeutic treatment development. Concurrent with research execution, the award supports the principal investigator's career development through structured training in viral genomic sequencing, genomic analysis tools for studying HMPV evolution, and epidemiological methodologies. These combined outputs address the critical knowledge gap regarding HMPV's rapid mutation and evolution, contributing to the NIAID mission of supporting investigator-initiated biomedical research on infectious disease mechanisms and advancing public health understanding of a leading respiratory pathogen in U.S. children.