Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Louisville $630,173 through the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for a five-year project period beginning May 1, 2026 and concluding April 30, 2031. The University of Louisville's Office of Research & Innovation will conduct investigator-initiated biomedical research examining how Yersinia pestis modulates host extracellular vesicles (EVs) and immune response mechanisms. The research will characterize changes in pulmonary EV populations and inflammatory potential during pneumonic plague and utilize bacterial mutants to delineate the molecular mechanisms of EV biogenesis in neutrophils.

This project advances fundamental understanding of bacterial virulence and immune evasion by investigating how Y. pestis actively inhibits EV biogenesis and release in human neutrophils through type three secretion system proteins. The research will expand scientific knowledge of EV biogenesis mechanisms and the role of EVs in inflammation regulation during acute bacterial infections, with potential applications for improving treatment strategies for plague and other infectious diseases. The work will be performed at the University of Louisville's Louisville, Kentucky facility.