Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Loyola University of Chicago's Health Sciences Campus received $158,800 in funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for a project grant awarded April 2, 2026, with completion targeted for March 31, 2028. The project investigates the anti-inflammatory effects of nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) during bacterial infection, with the goal of developing new therapeutic strategies for sepsis. Research activities include defining the scope and mechanisms by which NRTIs reduce excessive inflammatory responses triggered by endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) during bacterial infections, building on preliminary findings demonstrating that NRTI treatment protects mice from lipopolysaccharide-induced hypothermia and death in E. coli bloodstream infection models.

The grant supports biomedical research intended to advance scientific understanding of host immune responses to bacterial infection and establish whether NRTIs hold practical therapeutic utility in human infection contexts. Deliverables from this investigator-initiated research are expected to generate foundational knowledge on inflammatory mechanisms and potentially inform development of novel sepsis treatments, addressing a significant public health challenge for which therapeutic innovation has stagnated in recent decades. The research will be conducted at the awardee's performance location in Maywood, Illinois.