Federal Grant Award Summary

Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, School of Nursing received a $764,590 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 1, 2026 through January 31, 2031. The award supports investigative research examining the ontogeny and functions of trained macrophages in type 2 immunity, with particular focus on understanding immune responses to helminth parasitic infections. The research will characterize how lung macrophages maintain protective antimicrobial functions and achieve trained immunity status through interactions with other innate immune cells, including neutrophils and basophils, with the objective of developing therapeutic strategies to improve parasite expulsion while mitigating severe immunopathological complications such as emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis.

The research deliverables will contribute to fundamental immunological knowledge regarding the regulation of type 2 inflammatory responses and macrophage activation mechanisms in parasitic infection contexts. Through this five-year project period, the awardee will conduct basic science investigations and generate data that may inform development of novel therapeutics targeting innate immune pathways relevant to helminth infections affecting an estimated 2 billion people globally. The research is performed at the awardee's Newark, New Jersey location.