Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Augusta University Research Institute, Inc. received a $252,716 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded July 15, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2028. The grant funds biomedical research investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying lipopolysaccharide (LPS) hypersensitivity in a novel transgenic mouse model. The research examines the balance between pyroptosis (programmed inflammatory cell death) and necroptosis (lytic cell death) mediated by caspase-8 and receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), with specific focus on how phosphorylation of threonine-169 in RIPK1 regulates cell death pathways in response to bacterial infection and systemic inflammatory stimuli.

The grant deliverables include fundamental research findings on the pathogenic mechanisms of necroptotic cell death in acute systemic inflammatory responses, characterized mouse model phenotypes in response to Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection and LPS challenge, and molecular validation studies examining the role of RIPK3 inhibition in rescuing LPS-induced lethality. Research outputs are expected to establish a novel mechanistic understanding of LPS-induced mortality and necroptosis induction, with potential implications for understanding septic shock and acute inflammatory disease pathology.