Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a $3.06 million Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded July 1, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2030. The grant funds a four-year research initiative titled "Altering the Infection Environment for the Eradication of S. aureus Infection," which addresses the clinical challenge of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) skin and soft tissue infections and their propensity for recurrence and progression to life-threatening conditions.

The research project delivers three integrated research products focused on understanding and modulating host immune responses to enhance antibiotic efficacy in MRSA infection. Aim 1 investigates how neutrophil-induced antibiotic tolerance develops during inflammation and evaluates neutropenia as a strategy to improve vancomycin efficacy. Aim 2 explores the use of PPARG agonists to transition infections toward resolution phase immunity and tests whether resolution-phase metabolites—polyamines and monounsaturated fatty acids—synergize with antibiotics to clear infection. Aim 3 determines how immune dysfunction in diabetic patients contributes to antibiotic failure and resistance emergence by examining defective mTOR-dependent glucose transporter expression in phagocytes. Together, these research aims produce mechanistic understanding and potential adjunctive therapeutic strategies to enhance antibiotic treatment outcomes and reduce recurrent and severe staphylococcal infections.