Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) awarded a Project Grant of $196,992.00 to The Leland Stanford Junior University on July 10, 2026, through the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173). The award funds a five-year research initiative (through June 30, 2031) investigating immune mechanisms of cochlear injury in congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, the leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss in children affecting approximately one in 200 live births worldwide.

The research deliverables include mechanistic studies using a neonatal murine CMV model to identify how natural killer (NK) cells and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) contribute to cochlear inflammation and hearing loss. The project comprises three primary research aims: defining the timing and extent of NK cell infiltration and auditory injury; determining whether NK cells are required for cochlear pathology using cell depletion models; and identifying how IFN-γ signaling alters cochlear cell health and whether pharmacologic pathway inhibition can prevent auditory injury. Findings are expected to establish foundational knowledge for developing targeted immunomodulatory strategies to preserve hearing in affected infants and inform future therapeutic interventions for congenital CMV-related hearing loss.