Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Pittsburgh received a $728,222 Project Grant awarded on April 24, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The five-year award, extending through March 31, 2031, funds investigator-initiated biomedical research examining the role of interferon (IFN) signaling in lupus nephritis (LN), a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

The research deliverables include fundamental investigations into how Type I, II, and III interferon signaling mechanisms provide protective effects in kidney tissue parenchyma, employing RNA sequencing and validation studies to characterize the molecular pathways involved. The project specifically examines the dichotomous effects of interferon-gamma receptor signaling on disease pathogenesis, exploring how tissue microenvironment alterations affect immune cell infiltration and attempting to identify whether Type I and Type III interferons initiate similar tolerogenic programs that suppress inflammatory pathways or induce suppressive molecules in the kidney. These research activities are intended to advance understanding of disease mechanisms underlying lupus nephritis and generate scientific knowledge to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with this kidney disease manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus.