Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Wayne State University received a $670,529 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded February 13, 2026, with a completion date of December 31, 2030. The award supports translational research to develop and optimize phage-antibiotic combination (PAC) therapies targeting multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, particularly infective endocarditis. The research addresses the critical clinical challenge of increasing treatment failures with standard antibiotic therapies (vancomycin and daptomycin) by investigating synergistic mechanisms between bacteriophage cocktails and antibiotics (daptomycin alone or in combination with ceftaroline) to prevent resistance development.

The research deliverables include mechanistic characterization of phage-antibiotic synergistic action using innovative fingerprinting methodologies, optimization of PAC efficacy using an ex vivo model of simulated endocardial vegetation infection with humanized dosing parameters, and evaluation of simultaneous and sequential dosing strategies to achieve optimal mechanistic and pharmacologic synergy. The project will culminate in pre-clinical validation of optimized anti-MRSA treatment regimens, translating laboratory findings toward potential clinical applications for salvage therapy in cases of antibiotic-resistant infections.