Federal Grant Award Summary

The Johns Hopkins University received a $233,125 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for the period of May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2028. The award supports the development of a toolkit for investigating 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXPS) as a key driver of metabolic adaptations in pathogenic bacteria. DXPS catalyzes the formation of a central metabolic node that provides pathogens with essential vitamins and isoprenoids required for survival in host environments. By creating accessible probes and research tools, this project seeks to elucidate how diverse bacterial pathogens utilize this metabolic pathway to adapt to host immune responses and nutrient-restricted conditions.

The research addresses the urgent need for novel antibacterial strategies to combat drug-resistant infections by targeting bacterial central metabolism as an underexplored but promising therapeutic space. The toolkit developed through this award will enable researchers to systematically study the scope of metabolic processes dependent on DXPS across multiple serious bacterial pathogens, potentially opening pathways for narrow-spectrum antimicrobial agents that exploit the unique metabolic vulnerabilities pathogens develop during infection. The project will be conducted at Johns Hopkins University's location in Baltimore, Maryland.