Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded Brigham and Women's Hospital Inc. a Project Grant of $724,190 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for the period July 10, 2026 through June 30, 2031. This award supports investigator-initiated biomedical research aimed at understanding the mechanisms by which maternal milk confers immune protection against allergic and infectious diseases in neonates. The research builds on the hygiene hypothesis and examines how maternal exposure to bacterial-derived endotoxin influences the generation of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs)—specifically Resolvin D4—in breast milk, which subsequently promote regulatory immune function in offspring and protect against type 2 pulmonary inflammation, house dust mite allergen sensitization, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

The project deliverables include scientific findings on maternal-neonatal immune transmission mechanisms through milk-borne SPMs, experimental validation in murine models demonstrating altered dendritic cell populations and reduced type 2 immune responses in pups from endotoxin-exposed dams, and translational research that may inform pediatric immunology and allergy prevention strategies. The work will be conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital's Department of Faulkner Pathology location in Boston, Massachusetts, with research outputs expected to contribute to the broader NIH mission of advancing knowledge in infectious disease, immunologic, and allergic disease prevention through basic and translational science.