Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus a Project Grant totaling $149,000 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855). This award, issued July 10, 2026 and extending through June 30, 2030, funds the SURE (Support for Research Excellence) project entitled "Targeting Snail Reproduction to Block Schistosomiasis Transmission." The research addresses the critical global health challenge of schistosomiasis, which affects over 236 million people in more than 70 countries, by investigating how the Schistosoma mansoni parasite suppresses reproduction in its intermediate host, the Biomphalaria glabrata snail. This understanding could enable development of novel snail-control strategies to reduce disease transmission without eradicating host populations.

The project will deliver fundamental research products examining parasitic castration mechanisms through integrated laboratory analyses, including wholemount immunohistochemistry, hybridization chain reaction detection of neuropeptide messenger RNAs, and neurophysiological techniques. Specifically, the investigation focuses on two neuropeptide families—cholecystokinin and gonadotropin-releasing hormone related peptides—implicated in snail reproduction, analyzing their expression patterns across the infection chronology at both messenger RNA and protein levels in identified neurons and reproductive tissues. In addition to scientific outputs, the award provides research training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at this Hispanic-serving minority institution located in Puerto Rico, contributing to the development of the biomedical research workforce in infectious disease studies.