Project Grant R16AI201139

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded The University Corporation $147,500 on September 1, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct a multi-scale study of antimicrobial peptide action in non-standard bacterial growth states.

The project addresses how antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)—immune-derived molecules that kill bacteria by disrupting membranes and modulate host immune responses—perform under physiologically relevant conditions that mimic bacterial states during infections. Most laboratory assays have historically focused on exponentially growing planktonic cells, failing to capture the complexity of real infections involving dense bacterial communities, biofilms, and metabolically inactive subpopulations tolerant to conventional antibiotics. The research integrates custom microfluidics, single-cell live imaging, and transcriptomic analysis to evaluate AMP performance in structured and metabolically diverse bacterial populations using Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis as model organisms.

The University Corporation, a non-profit auxiliary organization of California State University, Northridge, is the recipient. Work is performed in Northridge, California, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2030. This is a Project Grant, the standard assistance type under the program for supporting innovative research addressing emerging health challenges in infectious and allergic diseases.