This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $876,094 to The Ohio State University to investigate the interaction between the opportunistic pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium abscessus. The key objectives are to: 1) identify the novel mechanism by which P. aeruginosa antagonizes M. abscessus in dual-species biofilms, and 2) study the M....
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $125,160 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to The Ohio State University to characterize a novel bacterial immune system. The research aims to use cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical assays to define the structure and assembly mechanisms of a bacterial immune complex consisting of two components, A and B, which are predicted to have ATPase and nuclease functions,...
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $458,850 Project Grant (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) to Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) to investigate the role of accessory genes in the ExoU pathogenicity island of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and their impact on virulence and antibiotic resistance. The research aims to uncover new virulence functions of the ExoU island that contribute to the severe disease caused by this class of P....
This $783,557 federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) supports research to investigate the molecular determinants and functions of bacterial polysaccharide cellular localization in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. The key products and services to be delivered include: Examining modifications to the Psl and Pel exopolysaccharides to determine if they exist in...
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $1,462,682 Project Grant (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) to The Ohio State University. The grant, effective June 5, 2024 through April 30, 2029, will support research to develop a mucosal subunit vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 that is effective against variants and generates long-lasting mucosal immunity. The research will test the hypothesis that a BCFA/alum-adjuvanted subunit vaccine containing...
This federal Project Grant award of $430,354 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), supports research to investigate the molecular mechanisms driving the clinical dominance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sequence type 111 (ST111) isolates. The research aims to study two key factors that may contribute to the dominance of ST111 strains, including the secretion of an inhibitory protein complex...
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a five-year, $868,776 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to The Children's Hospital Corporation (Boston Children's Hospital) on February 25, 2025. The grant funds research to characterize a novel post-transcriptional regulator called PhaF in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a leading cause of infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis,...
This federal Project Grant award, valued at $267,310.00 and issued by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), supports research to evaluate the role of a lipoic acid transfer protein in the metabolism and virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. The key objectives of this project are to: 1) Determine how the lipoic acid transfer protein (LipL) interfaces with the phosphotransacetylase (Pta) enzyme to...
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $147,656 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc. to study how mucin, a component of mucus, inhibits pneumococcal autolysis and promotes prolonged bacterial survival. The key objectives of this project are to: 1) determine the specificity of mucin-mediated autolysis inhibition in Streptococcus pneumoniae, 2) assess the impact of...
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $236,100 Project Grant (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) to Georgia Tech Research Corp to characterize two virulence-associated small RNAs (sRNAs) in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The research aims to elucidate the mechanisms controlling expression of the sRNAs, identify their regulatory targets, and assess their importance for S. aureus virulence using a murine surgical wound infection model....
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $2,891,169 Project Grant (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) to The Ohio State University to conduct research on the complex interactions between the bacterial pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The research aims to define the mechanisms underlying their antagonistic and cooperative behaviors, with a focus on understanding how P. aeruginosa's exopolysaccharide Psl impacts S. aureus growth, and how P. aeruginosa's 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO) induces S. aureus staphyloxanthin production to enhance resistance to oxidative stress and immune cell killing. The project also investigates how prior S. aureus infection induces metabolic reprogramming and immune gene silencing in macrophages. The Ohio State University will collaborate with the University of Washington on the proposed research under this 5-year award, which runs from June 2024 to April 2029.