Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Illinois at Chicago $620,662 on July 2, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct a five-year research project through June 30, 2031. This Project Grant funds basic and translational research aimed at elucidating the mechanisms by which quorum-sensing-active Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus, GAS) suppresses host innate immune responses. The research focuses on understanding how the bacterial RGG2/RGG3 quorum-sensing system and its regulation of the QIM operon modify the GAS cell wall in ways that prevent pro-inflammatory gene transcription in macrophages, despite activation of upstream signaling pathways.

The award supports three coordinated research aims that employ high-throughput techniques including RNA sequencing, phosphoproteomics, CRISPR screening, and CUT&RUN assays. Deliverables include mechanistic characterization of nuclear defects in macrophages during quorum-sensing-active GAS infections; identification of upstream host cell receptors and signaling pathways mediating bacterial immune suppression; and reconciliation of apparent paradoxes between in vitro immunosuppression and enhanced in vivo pathology. The research has direct application to understanding bacterial pathogenesis and immune evasion mechanisms, with implications for disease prevention and therapeutic development targeting GAS-related conditions ranging from pharyngitis and skin infections to invasive, life-threatening diseases.