Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a $233,250 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded May 21, 2026, with a completion date of April 30, 2028. The grant funds the development and validation of probe-based transcriptional profiling methodology to monitor host-pathogen-microbiome interactions during Chlamydia trachomatis infection. This research addresses a critical gap in clinical diagnostics and vaccine development by creating a rapid, cost-effective, and noninvasive alternative to traditional RNA sequencing methods for analyzing cervical specimens from women at high risk for chlamydial infection.

The primary deliverables include comparative performance evaluation of probe-based RNA sequencing against total RNA sequencing for characterizing cervical brush specimens, methodology validation for simultaneously profiling Chlamydia gene expression and cervicovaginal microbiome composition during natural infection, and identification of transcriptional biomarkers predictive of reproductive tract damage and protection. This work directly supports the development of correlates of protection necessary for vaccine advancement and improved clinical management of sexually transmitted chlamydial infections, addressing an urgent public health need for which no preventive vaccine currently exists.