Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a $233,250 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to support research investigating host-microbe interactions that drive pro-fibrotic macrophage development. The award, effective June 12, 2026, through May 31, 2028, funds systematic investigation of how adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) manipulates human macrophage signaling pathways to promote inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated fibrosis and colorectal cancer. The research deliverables include development of fluorescent reporter systems, cell sorting and microscopy analyses, and a microfluidic tool for high-throughput single-cell analysis of mammalian macrophages alongside their intracellular bacterial transcriptome, with specific focus on characterizing the metallophore yersiniabactin produced by the IBD-linked E. coli NC101 strain and its role in reprogramming macrophages to a pro-fibrotic phenotype.

The project generates scientific outputs intended to identify which bacterial effectors are induced upon AIEC infection, establish associations between specific effectors and distinct macrophage phenotypes, and define the mechanistic pathways underlying IBD-associated fibrotic complications. These research findings contribute to the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program's broader objective of advancing biomedical knowledge regarding infectious disease mechanisms and their chronic inflammatory sequelae, with potential applications for understanding and treating IBD and related fibrotic complications.