Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Wisconsin-Madison a $427,625 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) on February 1, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2028. The grant funds research investigating the mechanisms of fallopian tube damage caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection that results in pelvic inflammatory disease. The research will utilize human fallopian tube tissue in organ culture to elucidate how gonococcal-derived peptidoglycan fragments and lipooligosaccharide trigger inflammatory cytokine responses, increase matrix metalloproteinase activity, and decrease cell-cell junction protein expression, ultimately leading to ciliated epithelial cell detachment and tissue damage. The project advances understanding of the molecular pathways underlying tubal-factor infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and ectopic pregnancy risk—major sequelae of gonococcal infection.

The research will generate knowledge products including experimental findings on programmed cell death mechanisms (particularly pyroptosis) in ciliated cell death and sloughing, quantitative data on inflammatory marker responses in infected tissue, and mechanistic models of gonococcal-induced tissue pathology. These scientific outputs will contribute to the broader public health objective of the NIAID program: advancing biomedical research on infectious diseases to improve health outcomes and protect communities from disease threats.