Federal Grant Award Summary

New York University School of Medicine received a $791,797 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 project, titled "Intestinal Programming of Gut-Associated Germinal Centers," conducts biomedical research to advance understanding of how the intestinal microbiota directs B cell programming and antibody production within gut-associated lymphoid tissue. The research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms by which commensal bacteria influence the development and function of germinal centers—critical microanatomical sites for B cell evolution and immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody production—and how dysregulation of these processes contributes to diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, cancer, and depression.

The award supports investigator-initiated research examining the crosstalk between the intestinal microenvironment, B cells, and the microbiota, with particular emphasis on how chronic bacterial stimulation modulates immunoreceptor responsiveness and B cell receptor and toll-like receptor signaling in steady-state germinal center dynamics. The research conducted at the New York, NY location is expected to generate scientific knowledge and potentially novel therapeutic approaches for managing microbiota-related immune dysregulation and associated disease pathogenesis.