Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a Project Grant totaling $155,893 to the University of Maryland, Baltimore under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) on April 24, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2031. This award supports investigator-initiated research to generate experimental data clarifying the pathology of Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), an emerging sexually transmitted pathogen, and to evaluate potential therapeutic interventions to inform clinical treatment guidelines.

The research leverages a three-dimensional (3D) organotypic model of the cervical epithelium developed by the award's mentor, utilizing primary human cervical cells to better recapitulate in vivo cervical conditions than existing two-dimensional models. The project examines host-pathogen-microbiome interactions in MG infection, including co-infections with Chlamydia trachomatis and bacterial vaginosis, and evaluates the efficacy of metronidazole and tinidazole—antibiotics currently used for bacterial vaginosis treatment—as potential therapeutic agents for improving MG treatment outcomes. The experimental framework addresses critical gaps in understanding how asymptomatic MG infection progresses to adverse reproductive outcomes such as cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility, ultimately supporting more thorough and actionable clinical recommendations.