Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of South Alabama a $234,000 Project Grant on May 7, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to support innovative research investigating the role of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides in urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogenesis and inflammation. This two-year research initiative, scheduled for completion by April 30, 2028, will explore the novel hypothesis that bacterial infection triggers the accumulation of Aβ peptides in kidney tissue, driving deleterious inflammatory responses and disease progression. The research builds on preliminary findings demonstrating elevated plasma Aβ levels in sepsis patients and Aβ accumulation in mouse UTI models, with the goal of advancing understanding of mechanisms underlying UTI complications, including progression to urosepsis—the leading cause of hospital-acquired sepsis with mortality rates as high as 40%.

Through this R21 exploratory grant mechanism, the University of South Alabama will conduct early-stage conceptual research to determine whether Aβ transitions from a host-protective antimicrobial role to a detrimental pro-inflammatory effector during bacterial infection. Successful completion of this research may generate novel insights into kidney injury mechanisms during UTI and identify potential therapeutic targets to mitigate infection-driven inflammation and sepsis complications. The award supports the university's established research capacity in infectious disease modeling and aligns with NIAID's strategic priorities in understanding pathogenic mechanisms across infectious disease domains.