Defining the host and pathogen determinants of peptidoglycan induced pathophysiology in lyme disease

Active Project Grant Awarded Last action

Award ID
R01AI173256
Recipient
Awarding agency
Obligated
$2,045,851

Award facts

Assistance listing
93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research
Completion date 82% complete
Place of performance
Chicago, IL 60611, USA

Award details come from USAspending.gov.

Description

Abstract
Accounting for ten times more cases than all of vector-borne diseases combined in the united states, lyme disease is an escalating and pervasive problem. Upon infection with the lyme disease agent-borrelia burgdorferi- patients experience mild, flu-like symptoms that can go on to become more severe. In later stages, even after antibiotic therapy, patients can experience heart, joint, and neurological problems. The reason(S) for persistent symptoms is poorly understood and the most debated topic in the field. The lead investigator of this proposal discovered that B. Burgdorferi sheds ~45% of its peptidoglycan (PG)-the essential component of the bacterial cell-wall-from inside the cell, into its environment. B. Burgdorferi PG can be detected in the synovial fluid of lyme arthritis patients' months after oral and/or intravenous antibiotics. When injected into a mouse, B. Burgdorferi PG alone, is capable of causing arthritis. Virtually all bacteria have PG but, as IT turns out, B. Burgdorferi PG is chemically unique and unlike any previously studied. Real-timing PG tracking experiments in live animals suggest that the unique features of B. Burgdorferi muropeptides contributes to both half-life and discrete tissue localization. These findings led US to hypothesize that shed B. Burgdorferi PG fragments contain unique chemical signature(S) that are required for persistence, lyme disease pathogenesis, and arthritis. This proposal will critically test these theories and provide a comprehensive understanding of 1) how and 2) where PG is able to persist; 3) what molecular features contribute to PG persistence; 4) the mechanistic details that underlie PG-induced lyme arthritis; and 5) the importance of muropeptide shedding in the natural life cycle of B. Burgdorferi. Our proposed studies challenge conventional thinking and may lead to a paradigm shift in how we understand lyme disease pathogenesis. They may also lead to novel ways to treat patients suffering with lyme disease and post-treatment lyme disease syndrome, even after conventional therapies have failed.

Transactions

Action Obligated Date
Amendment $479,447
Amendment $512,391
Amendment $541,558
Amendment $0
Original award $512,455

Subawards

Subrecipient Amount Awarded
Yale Univ Defining the host and pathogen determinants of peptidoglycan induced pathophysiology in Lyme disease $15,492
Rector & Visitors Of The University Of Virginia $50,000
The Medical College Of Wisconsin, Inc. $149,396
The Medical College Of Wisconsin, Inc. $154,124
Yale Univ $15,014
Rector & Visitors Of The University Of Virginia Defining the host and pathogen determinants of peptidoglycan induced pathophysiology in Lyme Disease $50,000

Quick answers

Who received award R01AI173256?

R01AI173256 was awarded to Northwestern University by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (National Institutes of Health) on August 2, 2023.

How much is award R01AI173256 worth?

$2,045,851 has been obligated on R01AI173256.

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