Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) a Project Grant of $586,920 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) on June 15, 2026, with a completion date of May 31, 2031. This research grant funds an investigator-initiated biomedical study examining the role of pyruvate acquisition in Staphylococcus aureus survival within intracellular environments, specifically within macrophages and in the context of prosthetic joint infection. The research deliverables include characterization of bacterial pyruvate transport mechanisms encoded by the lrgab, lctp, lldp, and B7H15_13955 genes; evaluation of how pyruvate transport affects bacterial survival and growth within macrophages; and assessment of the system's role during prosthetic joint infection and its impact on macrophage metabolism and activity during infection.

The project addresses fundamental questions in infectious disease pathogenesis by investigating how Staphylococcus aureus competes with host cell mitochondria for limited pyruvate pools using specific bacterial transporters. The research is expected to advance understanding of bacterial metabolic adaptations during intracellular infection and generate scientific knowledge that may inform future therapeutic interventions targeting this pathogenic mechanism.