Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Western University of Health Sciences received a $540,000 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, 2029. The award funds research investigating protein kinase R's (PKR) role in determining organ tropism and disease severity in hantavirus infections. The research addresses a critical gap in understanding why Old World hantaviruses (such as Puumala, Seoul, and Dobrava Belgrade viruses) preferentially infect kidney microvascular endothelial cells, causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), while New World hantaviruses (Sin Nombre and Andes viruses) target cardiac microvascular endothelial cells, causing hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) with substantially higher mortality rates.

The project delivers experimental research and scientific analysis to delineate the mechanistically distinct strategies by which Old World and New World hantavirus nucleocapsid proteins selectively inhibit PKR antiviral responses in kidney and heart endothelial cells, respectively. Using multifaceted experimental approaches, the research will test the hypothesis that PKR functions as a host restriction factor whose selective inhibition defines organ-specific tropism, with findings applicable to improving understanding of viral pathogenesis and potential therapeutic interventions for both HFRS and HCPS.