Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the Regents of the University of Minnesota a $2.9 million Project Grant effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855). The grant supports the development of engineered immunocompetent human tissue models to advance understanding of chronic inflammatory disease mechanisms. The research addresses significant limitations in existing inflammatory disease models by creating physiologically relevant, human-derived tissue systems—specifically immunocompetent brain, liver, and adipose microtissues developed from pluripotent stem cell-derived progenitors. These tissue models will enable controlled manipulation and study of macrophage activation states, resident cell dynamics, and tissue-specific inflammatory responses with greater mechanistic precision than current experimental approaches.

The project deliverables include advanced research tools and methodologies for studying inflammatory state transitions in complex human tissues, with particular focus on quantifying resident macrophage expansion versus peripheral monocyte infiltration during inflammation and characterizing tissue-specific immune cell interactions. By developing more authentic and physiologically appropriate models of chronic inflammation, the research is expected to improve predictive accuracy for therapeutic intervention windows in chronic disease treatment and provide the scientific community with better-controlled experimental systems for immunological and infectious disease research.