Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a Project Grant of $149,035 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, effective May 6, 2026, with a completion date of April 30, 2028. This award supports biomedical research investigating glycosylation as a host defense mechanism against alphavirus infections, specifically focusing on the antiviral properties of the enzyme B3GNT2 (β1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 2) against Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV).

The research deliverables include biochemical and cell biological studies to characterize how B3GNT2 inhibits viral entry through modification of host cell receptors via poly-N-acetyllactosamine (polyLacNAc) glycosylation, as well as in vivo pathogenesis studies using mouse models to evaluate B3GNT2's protective effects against VEEV infection. During the mentored phase, the principal investigator will complete mechanism-of-action studies against VEEV and conduct mouse model experiments. In the independent research phase, the investigation will extend to CHIKV infection in B3GNT2 knockout mice to define the role of polyLacNAc glycosylation in blocking receptor-mediated viral entry, potentially yielding novel insights into host immune defenses against multiple alphaviruses.