Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Vermont & State Agricultural College a $230,250 Project Grant on July 7, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct biomedical research examining the relationship between the gut microbiome bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila and central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity in multiple sclerosis (MS). The research will investigate how strain-level variation in A. muciniphila and its vitamin K metabolism influence MS disease progression through a longitudinal study design, with performance conducted in Burlington, Vermont, through June 30, 2028.

The grant will fund mechanistic studies and longitudinal microbiota analysis to elucidate how reduced A. muciniphila abundance and diminished menaquinone (vitamin K) production correlate with disease progression in people with MS. The research addresses a significant knowledge gap by moving beyond cross-sectional case-control studies to identify microbiota signatures predictive of disease onset and progression, ultimately providing scientific evidence to support potential microbiome-based or vitamin K-directed therapeutic interventions for MS patients.