Project Grant K08AI197049

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. (doing business as BIDMC) $191,484 on September 1, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to investigate the role of neutrophil glycosylation in pneumonia susceptibility following traumatic brain injury.

The research examines how damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released after trauma alter innate immune cell function and predispose patients to bacterial infection at barrier sites, particularly the lung. Post-traumatic pneumonia occurs in approximately 42% of traumatic brain injury patients and frequently necessitates tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation, and carries risk of death. Current preventive measures such as oral care and aspiration minimization do not fully resolve pneumonia risk because traumatic brain injury causes underlying immune dysregulation. The project focuses on glycomic alterations in leukocytes after trauma and how DAMPs, particularly heme released from intracellular compartments, regulate changes in the leukocyte glycome. Understanding these mechanisms offers opportunity for intervention to prevent post-traumatic infections.

The award carries a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2031, with place of performance in Boston, Massachusetts. This Project Grant is assistance funding under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program, which supports biomedical research and research training in infectious diseases and related areas at public and private nonprofit institutions.