Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas at Arlington received a $533,850 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for the period April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028. This award supports investigator-initiated biomedical research examining the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus thymidine-dependent small-colony variants (TD-SCVs), which are frequently isolated from the airways of cystic fibrosis patients. The research focuses on understanding how alterations in bacterial metabolism and cell wall composition contribute to enhanced survival and more severe lung infection outcomes.

The funded research pursues two primary objectives: (1) characterizing a previously unrecognized glutamine feedback regulatory circuit in TD-SCV that modulates transcriptional repressor activity through glutamine-sensing mechanisms, which is critical for intracellular survival within glutamine-deficient cystic fibrosis neutrophils; and (2) investigating how TD-SCV infection mechanisms lead to increased host inflammation and pulmonary decline. The products of this research will generate scientific knowledge regarding bacterial pathogenic mechanisms and provide insights for innovative therapeutic approaches to address chronic S. aureus infection in cystic fibrosis patients. Research will be conducted at the University of Texas at Arlington's Arlington, Texas facility.