Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Wisconsin–Madison received a $233,250 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 June 9, 2026, through May 31, 2028. The award funds biomedical research investigating the mechanisms by which Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection triggers damaging inflammatory responses in the female reproductive tract. The research examines how the bacterium produces and releases peptidoglycan fragments that activate innate immune receptors (NOD1 and NOD2), leading to tissue damage including destruction of fallopian tube ciliated cells, adnexal adhesions, and chronic pelvic pain. Specific research products include biochemical characterization of the D,L-endopeptidase NLPC enzyme, analysis of peptidoglycan fragment composition and release mechanisms, and determination of protein interactions and cellular localization critical to inflammatory pathogenesis.

Through this award, the research team will generate scientific knowledge regarding the relationship between bacterial cell wall modification, pattern recognition receptor signaling, and tissue-damaging inflammation during gonococcal infection. The findings are intended to advance understanding of disease mechanisms and establish a foundation for potential therapeutic interventions targeting peptidoglycan-mediated inflammatory pathways in pelvic inflammatory disease and related reproductive tract infections.