Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center received $867,869 in project grant funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), with an award date of June 3, 2026, and a completion date of May 31, 2031. The award supports research to identify and validate small molecule metabolites in vaginal fluid as diagnostic biomarkers for bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), and trichomoniasis. This research addresses a significant clinical need, as vaginitis currently accounts for over 10 million medical office visits annually in the United States, with many women receiving misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment due to limitations of existing diagnostic methods.

The project delivers two primary research aims: (1) identification and validation of vaginal fluid metabolites as diagnostic markers for BV, trichomoniasis, and VVC, and (2) evaluation of metabolite changes to assess early disease prediction and determine whether post-treatment metabolite changes can predict disease relapse and test-of-cure outcomes. By developing metabolite-based diagnostics, this research seeks to provide rapid, cost-effective, and accurate diagnostic alternatives to current methods, potentially reducing diagnostic delays, inappropriate syndromic management, and the annual costs associated with vaginitis treatment, which exceed several billion dollars.