Federal Grant Award Summary

Northwestern University's Sponsored Research Division received a $431,784 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), effective February 19, 2026, through January 31, 2028. The award funds research to investigate Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) carriage in the gastrointestinal tract, a critical public health concern given PA's role in over 75,000 nosocomial infections annually in the United States. The research leverages a previously established and characterized mouse model of PA gastrointestinal carriage to identify carriage-facilitating factors produced by PA bacteria that enable colonization in the stomach and intestinal environments, with the goal of developing intervention strategies to prevent or eradicate gastrointestinal PA colonization in hospitalized patients.

The project utilizes bar-coded PA bacterial libraries and experimental methodologies to advance understanding of how PA establishes persistent carriage in the gastrointestinal tract despite antibiotic administration. Findings from this research are intended to inform evidence-based prevention strategies that may substantially reduce PA-related infections in hospitalized populations by targeting the gastrointestinal reservoir identified as a major source for subsequent systemic spread.