Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded The Washington University a Project Grant totaling $427,623 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct research examining how HIV-induced immunometabolic perturbation impairs tuberculosis (TB) control. The award, obligated on February 24, 2026, with completion scheduled for January 31, 2028, supports investigator-initiated research that dissects the mechanisms by which people living with HIV (PLWH) remain at elevated TB risk despite effective antiretroviral therapy and viral suppression. The research leverages dual-reporter human macrophage models and ex vivo studies to profile antimicrobial and immunometabolic responses of mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages, while examining how exhausted CD4+ T cells contribute to macrophage dysfunction in the co-infection context.

The primary deliverable is the generation of novel scientific knowledge regarding macrophage immunometabolic reprogramming in HIV-TB co-infected individuals and the development of a small animal model to study this co-infection—addressing a long-standing research obstacle. The research aims to elucidate why antiretroviral treatment-restored CD4+ T cells remain dysfunctional and fail to restore adequate antimicrobial properties, thereby informing future therapeutic interventions. Performed at The Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the project unites leading HIV and TB investigators and represents a significant advancement in understanding persistent TB susceptibility despite virologic control.