The General Hospital Corporation Research Management Division, doing business as Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), has been awarded a $342,900 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837). This grant will support research focused on defining the functional role of lung microfold (M) cells in predisposition to influenza-associated pneumococcal invasion and ensuing pneumonia and sepsis. The research also aims to identify the intracellular trafficking mechanisms during pneumococcal transcytosis across airway M cells. This study will shed light on the M cell-driven mechanisms promoting invasive pneumococcal disease and inform the development of therapeutic strategies to target epithelial entry portals and prevent bacterial superinfections following viral infections. The project will be executed at the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine under the mentorship of an expert in airway epithelial biology and lung regeneration, with an overarching goal of the principal investigator to establish themselves as a tenure-track faculty pioneering research in lung infections and immunity.
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