Project Grant R00AI175481

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), will provide $249,000.00 to the Regents of the University of Minnesota to conduct research on defining the mechanisms by which macrophages, a type of immune cell, restrict the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) bacteria during bloodstream infections (bacteremia).

The key objectives of this research are to: 1) Examine how splenic macrophages, a specific subset of these cells, restrict KP during bacteremia; 2) Identify host pathways that enable macrophages to kill KP; and 3) Discover KP mechanisms that allow the bacteria to resist macrophage-mediated killing. This innovative work will leverage CRISPR-based genetic screening and existing data to shed light on the complex interactions between macrophages and KP, a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections and gram-negative bacteremia. The findings are expected to have a sustained positive impact by revealing critical host and pathogen factors required for tissue-specific immune responses during bloodstream infections.