Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded $205,216 to the University of California Irvine on July 3, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to support discovery and characterization of proteins involved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis heme degradation. This two-year Project Grant (completion date June 30, 2028) focuses on identifying and characterizing proteins required for the bacterial heme uptake pathway, specifically investigating the fate of tetrapyrrole products from the MhuD protein and determining the electron source for heme degradation. The research employs biochemical and microbiological techniques to identify putative biliverdin reductases and electron-donor proteins in the MTB heme acquisition network, with the ultimate objective of elucidating therapeutic targets for tuberculosis drug development.

This project addresses a critical gap in understanding how the tuberculosis pathogen acquires and processes iron from host heme—an essential survival mechanism distinct from human heme oxygenase pathways. By characterizing the molecular components of MTB heme catabolism, the research generates foundational knowledge that may inform the development of new prevention and treatment approaches for tuberculosis, a disease responsible for millions of deaths globally.