Project Grant R01NS150478

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, awarded $475,659 to the University of Texas at Dallas on September 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to study blood-brain barrier dysfunction during bacterial meningitis.

The research employs state-of-the-art human stem-cell modeling techniques to assess how brain endothelial cells fail to maintain their protective properties during bacterial meningitis infection. Aim 1 investigates how Group B Streptococcus alters cellular uptake pathways—endocytosis and pinocytosis, which are normally shut off in healthy brain endothelial cells—and how this contributes to bacterial invasion and progression to meningitis. Aim 2 explores how Group B Streptococcus disrupts the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein, identifying the host cell signaling that contributes to this disruption and the bacterial factor responsible. The research has implications for understanding mechanisms of brain endothelial cell failure during infection and may uncover therapeutic interventions applicable to various neurological disorders.

The award funds work performed at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas, with a period of performance through July 31, 2031.