Federal Grant Award Summary

Arizona State University received a $429,997 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for the period June 12, 2026, through May 31, 2028. The award funds research to engineer inducible morphotype switching control in Mycobacterium abscessus (MABS), an antibiotic-resistant nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) responsible for rising infections and substantial healthcare costs. The project leverages advanced molecular genetic tools, including CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and anhydrotetracycline-inducible control systems, to create six unique reversible smooth-to-rough morphotype bacterial strains that enable precise investigator-controlled switching of bacterial surface glycopeptidolipids.

The research deliverables include the development of morphoswitchable M. abscessus strains and subsequent investigations into bacterial morphological plasticity, morphotype-specific pathophysiological traits, and interactions between bacterial morphotypes and host immunological responses. This research addresses a critical public health challenge, as MABS infections are rising at 8 percent annually and account for approximately $1.7 billion in annual U.S. healthcare costs. The project aims to identify novel morphotype-specific therapeutic targets and improve understanding of disease progression mechanisms associated with the natural morphotypical conversion from smooth to rough bacterial forms that characterizes M. abscessus infection and treatment resistance.