Project Grant R01DK145431

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia $853,295 on September 1, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to define bone marrow factors supporting neonatal hematopoiesis.

The award funds investigation of how critical illness and sepsis in the neonatal period perturb bone marrow niche development and function, with focus on CXCL12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells—mesenchymal cells that support hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell self-renewal. The research applies multimodal single-cell genomics, functional hematopoietic assays, and metabolic profiling to define transcriptional and functional regulation of glycolytic metabolism in CAR cell formation under normal and sepsis-associated conditions. Aim 1 will define cells and transcriptional regulatory networks supporting CAR cell formation at single-cell resolution. Aim 2 will determine how neonatal sepsis perturbs CAR cell metabolism and hematopoietic support function. The ultimate goal is to translate findings into prevention or treatment of long-term hematologic dysfunction following neonatal illness.

Work is performed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through May 31, 2031. This is a Project Grant, the standard assistance type for investigator-initiated research under NIDDK's extramural program.