Federal Project Grant Award Summary

New York University School of Medicine received a $466,125 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded February 3, 2026, with completion scheduled for January 31, 2028. The grant supports biomedical research investigating the role of perivascular border-associated macrophages (BAM) in regulating blood-brain barrier (BBB) function and controlling neuroinflammatory disease severity. The research will examine how resident CNS macrophages contribute to BBB integrity and whether they modulate T cell activation profiles.

The project delivers scientific investigation across two specific aims designed to advance understanding of macrophage-mediated immune regulation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Researchers will conduct comparative studies in BAM-ablated and normal mice to monitor inflammatory cell infiltration into the spinal cord, utilizing labeled monocyte tracking at the CCR2 locus to characterize monocyte-derived macrophage behavior. The research outcomes will contribute to fundamental knowledge of immune cell trafficking across the BBB and may inform therapeutic strategies for multiple sclerosis and other neuroinflammatory conditions. The award supports basic science research addressing mechanisms underlying infectious and immunologic disease pathogenesis, consistent with NIAID's mission to fund investigator-initiated research advancing scientific knowledge and improving health outcomes.