Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded Yale University a $188,005 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to support five years of investigator-initiated biomedical research from June 5, 2026 through May 31, 2031. Principal Investigator Dr. Elise Liu, MD, PhD, an allergist-immunologist at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, will conduct research to elucidate the mechanisms by which invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells regulate food-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) production. The research addresses a significant public health challenge, as food allergies affect 32 million people in the United States with limited treatment options and no cure.

The project will generate scientific knowledge regarding immune pathways that trigger food-specific IgE production through three primary research objectives: (1) determining how iNKT cell activation promotes food IgE production; (2) identifying lipids and lipid-presentation molecules that can induce food IgE production; and (3) characterizing which antigen-presenting cells activate iNKT cells and prime T follicular helper cells in the food allergy model. The research utilizes a novel α-galactosylceramide-induced food allergy mouse model to test the hypothesis that dietary or microbiome-derived lipids presented by conventional type 2 dendritic cells to pro-allergenic iNKT cells drive food-specific IgE production. These findings are intended to identify therapeutic targets for developing future food allergy interventions and support Dr. Liu's career development as an independent investigator in food allergy immunology.