Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Utah received a $423,500 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 funds investigator-initiated biomedical research examining the peptide specificity of natural killer (NK) cell inhibitory receptors, specifically investigating how the binding kinetics and bond lifetimes—rather than binding affinity alone—regulate NK cell function and cytotoxicity. The research builds on preliminary findings demonstrating differential bond characteristics between NK inhibitory receptors (Ly49C and KIR2DL3) and their peptide:major histocompatibility complex (MHC) targets, with the goal of providing mechanistic clarity on how peptide-dependent effects modulate NK cell-mediated immune responses.

This research contributes to the broader NIAID mission of supporting basic and translational science investigations into immunologic mechanisms and disease control. The project is conducted at the University of Utah's Office of Sponsored Projects in Salt Lake City and represents the institution's continued participation in federally-funded infectious disease and immunology research within the National Institutes of Health portfolio.