Project Grant R01AI201771

Award Summary

Rutgers The State University of New Jersey (RBHS-School of Nursing) received a $894,019 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. The research project, "Modeling and Manipulating Transcription Factor Activities to Shorten TB Therapy," delivers scientific and translational research outputs focused on developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for tuberculosis (TB). The project addresses the clinical challenge that subtle variations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) drug sensitivity predict TB relapse following conventional therapy, with the goal of enabling shorter, more effective treatment regimens through manipulation of transcription factor activity (TFA) profiles to predict and enhance drug sensitivity.

The deliverables under this award include interpretable machine learning models trained to predict MTB drug sensitivity and fitness under stress using TFA profiles derived from RNA expression data, with potential application as diagnostic tools to identify drug-resistant strains and guide personalized treatment strategies. Additionally, the research will explore mechanisms to manipulate transcription factor activities to sensitize drug-tolerant or persistent MTB strains, with the intent of identifying treatment-potentiating adjuvants that could reduce TB therapy duration. These research outputs directly support NIAID's mission to advance biomedical research addressing infectious diseases and contribute to both global and domestic TB control efforts.