Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded $445,000 to Boston Children's Hospital under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) on February 18, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2031. This project grant funds investigator-initiated biomedical research examining novel immunoregulatory mechanisms that modulate myeloid trained immunity in organ transplant recipients. The research addresses a critical gap in transplant medicine by investigating how innate immune responses—which are not effectively controlled by current immunosuppressive drugs—contribute to chronic transplant rejection and graft loss. Specifically, the project will investigate semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F) and neuropilin 2 (NRP2) interactions on monocytes as potential mechanisms to inhibit and resolve persistent innate alloimmune responses following transplantation.

The deliverables from this award include research outcomes advancing scientific understanding of innate immunity mechanisms in transplantation, transcriptomic analyses of SEMA3F-induced innate responses, and translational findings that could inform the development of novel therapeutic approaches to improve long-term transplant outcomes. As a leading pediatric research institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital leverages established research infrastructure and collaborative partnerships to conduct this sophisticated immunological research. The five-year project period supports competitive basic science and translational investigation consistent with NIAID's mission to advance knowledge of infectious and immunologic diseases through investigator-led research initiatives.