Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Iowa received a $791,990 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), effective February 4, 2026, through January 31, 2031. The award funds research to explain the mechanisms underlying measles virus (MEV) transmission and its exceptional contagiousness compared to other human respiratory viruses. The research utilizes well-differentiated primary cultures of human airway epithelial cells as a physiologically relevant model system to investigate infectious center formation, viral replication pathways, and host-to-host transmission mechanisms. The project addresses fundamental questions about mitochondrial targeting, mitophagy induction, and intracellular viral assembly while examining how expression of specific MEV proteins (fusion and hemagglutinin) contributes to infectious center formation using adenoviral vector delivery systems.

This five-year research initiative directly supports NIAID's mission to advance scientific knowledge of infectious disease mechanisms and develop improved interventions for vaccine-preventable diseases. The research outcomes are expected to provide critical insights into why measles remains the most contagious human virus and could inform the development of enhanced transmission-blocking strategies and improved public health measures for this globally significant pathogen.