Federal Grant Award Summary

Cornell University's Office of Sponsored Programs received a $408,133 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded May 7, 2026, with completion scheduled for April 30, 2031. The project, "A Systems Approach to Understanding Beta Lactam Antibiotic Mechanism of Action," will deliver comprehensive research services and scientific findings to advance understanding of how beta-lactam antibiotics (penicillin and related compounds) kill bacteria. This fundamental research addresses a critical gap in antimicrobial science despite decades of intensive investigation.

The research will produce novel analytical tools, bacterial model systems, and integrated mechanistic models that characterize beta-lactam-induced bacterial cell wall degradation. Specifically, Cornell will develop and deploy a peptidoglycan architecture analysis pipeline to quantitatively assess cell wall turnover in high-throughput fashion and establish new bacterial model systems that permit structural analysis during antibiotic-induced degradation. Deliverables will include comprehensive data on downstream consequences of beta-lactam exposure, quantified contributions of specific autolysins (cell wall-degrading enzymes) to the cell wall turnover process, identified pathways and environmental conditions modulating antibiotic mechanism of action, and a functionally integrated model encompassing environmental cues, metabolic functions, and autolytic potential. These research outputs are intended to fuel subsequent development of novel antimicrobial therapeutics to address antibiotic-resistant pathogens.