Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a $790,085 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) on July 13, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2031. This award supports biomedical research investigating the immunological mechanisms underlying alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a mammalian meat allergy affecting approximately 450,000 U.S. residents. The project focuses on understanding how Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) bites initiate alpha-gal-specific immune responses and T cell activation patterns, with the ultimate objective of developing interventions to reduce adverse outcomes and accelerate disease resolution in AGS patients.

The research deliverables include scientific findings on T cell populations activated by dendritic cells in tick-induced sensitization to alpha-gal, experimental characterization of carbohydrate-specific immune responses distinct from traditional protein-based food allergies, and mechanistic insights that deviate from conventional frameworks for immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy. As a Project Grant mechanism within the NIAID portfolio, the award supports hypothesis-driven basic and translational biomedical research conducted at UNC-CH's Chapel Hill, North Carolina facility, contributing to the broader NIH mission of advancing scientific knowledge in allergic and infectious disease immunology.