Federal Grant Award Summary

Baylor College of Medicine received a $240,707 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), awarded May 1, 2026, with completion scheduled for April 30, 2028. This R03 award funds research investigating the mechanisms of marginal zone B cell depletion in sickle cell disease (SCD) spleen tissue, with the objective of identifying therapeutic targets to prevent life-threatening infections and autoimmunity in SCD patients. The research addresses a critical knowledge gap regarding adaptive immune dysfunction in the spleen, where prior findings indicate that children with SCD demonstrate age-related decline in unswitched memory B cells and altered expression of genes critical for B cell differentiation.

Under this award, the research team will develop an ex vivo system to investigate the role of key genes (IL21R, PF4, and CX3CR1) in B cell development in SCD. Deliverables include validation of findings through RNA sequencing of spleen samples, measurement of serum cytokine and chemokine levels via ELISA in SCD patients, and characterization of B cell subset correlations with these biomarkers. These research outputs are designed to prioritize genes important for B cell development in SCD spleen and establish the scientific foundation for future clinical and mechanistic studies aimed at improving treatment outcomes for this devastating hemolytic anemia affecting over 500,000 infants annually worldwide.