Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center received a $249,000 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for the period April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028. This award supports research to identify conserved antiviral host defense mechanisms against arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) through an innovative screening methodology utilizing viral ubiquitination modulators (VUMs) derived from mammalian viruses.

The research project delivers scientific investigation services focused on understanding how viral proteins inhibit and redirect ubiquitination—a key host immune mechanism—to promote viral replication. Using a novel arbovirus rescue assay, the research team will screen an expression library of 93 VUMs from 33 different mammalian viruses to identify immune evasion proteins that enhance arbovirus replication in insect cells. By characterizing which host antiviral factors these viral proteins target, the research generates fundamental knowledge intended to inform the development of therapeutics against arboviral infections that threaten human and animal health worldwide. The anticipated products include identification of novel immune evasion mechanisms, characterization of conserved eukaryotic innate immune response components, and potential therapeutic strategies for combating arboviral disease.