Federal Grant Award Summary

Mayo Clinic received a $624,521 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded February 24, 2026, with completion scheduled for January 31, 2031. The award supports research investigating the regulation of target cell survival by two related protein kinases, TBK1 (TANK-binding kinase 1) and IKKε (inducible IκB kinase epsilon), with applications to both infectious disease and tumor immunology. The research utilizes a B16 F1 tumor model to examine how T cells employ interferon-gamma for paracrine killing of target cells and explores the molecular mechanisms by which deficiencies in these kinases affect cell death pathways, selective autophagy receptor phosphorylation, and inflammatory gene expression in infected or malignant cells.

The project deliverables include fundamental scientific research elucidating the "pathogen-restriction" concept—whereby cells possess death-resistance mechanisms embedded within antimicrobial defense signaling pathways that render them vulnerable to cytokine-induced apoptosis only when pathogen infection disables those pathways. Proteomic analysis and characterization of defective phosphorylation patterns in selective autophagy receptors will advance understanding of how TBK1 and IKKε coordinate intracellular bacterial degradation, antiviral interferon responses, and cell survival regulation. These findings are expected to inform immunotherapeutic strategies for enhancing T cell-mediated elimination of infected or tumor cells while minimizing collateral damage to uninfected tissues.