Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a Project Grant of $475,339 to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for the period April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028. The award supports the development and testing of peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMOs) as therapeutic agents against Nipah virus (NIV), a highly lethal zoonotic paramyxovirus causing severe respiratory disease and encephalitis in humans. PPMOs are nuclease-resistant, water-soluble antisense agents that can penetrate cells without transfection and have demonstrated antiviral efficacy against multiple RNA viruses, including FDA approval for treating forms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Under this grant, ISMMS will design and evaluate PPMOs targeting the nucleoprotein (N), phosphoprotein (P), and large protein (L) of NIV—three viral proteins essential for viral RNA synthesis. A key advantage of the P-targeting approach is that it simultaneously inhibits the expression of viral virulence factors (V and W proteins) that suppress the type I interferon response, potentially enhancing overall antiviral efficacy. The research will build upon preliminary findings demonstrating low micromolar activity against Cedar virus (a non-pathogenic henipavirus) and pilot evidence of anti-NIV activity in cell culture, ultimately contributing to development of the first approved antivirals for Nipah virus treatment and prevention.