Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Vanderbilt University Medical Center received a $186,224 Project Grant award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2031. The award supports research investigating immunometabolic regulation of CD8 T cell dynamics in human critical illness and sepsis. The research program examines how metabolic stress—particularly abnormal glutamine metabolism and impaired glycolytic pathways—drives CD8 T cell dysfunction in critically ill and septic patients, with the goal of identifying therapeutic targets to restore immune cell function and improve clinical outcomes in sepsis, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

The project employs advanced research methodologies including single-cell RNA sequencing, high-dimensional spectral flow cytometry, and isotopic glutamine tracing to characterize metabolic phenotypes in patient-derived CD8 T cells and to elucidate mechanisms linking metabolic dysfunction to immune cell exhaustion and reduced cytokine production. Specifically, the research investigates how alterations in phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) expression and glutamine metabolism modulate effector CD8 T cell fitness and function, with applications for developing immunometabolic interventions to enhance immune responses in critically ill patients.