Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded $524,626 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison on February 5, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to support a five-year research project through January 31, 2031. The project, titled "A Chromatin Loop Controls the Expression of Anterograde Transport Genes During HSV-1 Latency," investigates the mechanisms by which herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) establishes latency in sensory neurons and reactivates to cause ocular herpes and potential blindness. The research employs novel chromosome conformation capture circular-sequencing technology and human neuronal platforms to identify viral chromatin loops and chromatin insulators that regulate gene expression during latency and reactivation. The principal investigator's laboratory will define mechanisms controlling these processes with the objective of developing novel therapeutics to deplete viral reservoirs and prevent viral reactivation and transmission.

The project includes a subcontract awarded to the University of Florida's Division of Sponsored Research on February 26, 2026. Under this subaward, Dr. David C. Bloom will develop recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors containing small interfering RNA (siRNA) and CRISPR/Cas9 therapeutics for viral genome editing and viral protein depletion in neurons. The University of Florida's responsibilities include participating in experimental protocol development, supervising personnel, providing purified vectors to the University of Wisconsin-Madison laboratory, delivering experimental results in timely fashion, and ensuring compliance with National Institutes of Health guidelines and appropriate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee protocols throughout the collaboration.