Project Grant R21AI199944

North Carolina State University received a $223,754 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 May 11, 2026 through April 30, 2028. The grant supports biomedical research investigating the post-transcriptional regulation of allergic inflammation, specifically examining the cell-specific role of tristetraprolin (TTP) in allergen-induced respiratory inflammation. The research aims to elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms of pro-inflammatory mediator expression and to explore TTP modulation as a potential therapeutic strategy for mitigating allergic respiratory inflammation, particularly relevant given that allergic asthma affects more than 50 percent of asthmatic adults and 80 percent of asthmatic children globally.

The research deliverables include scientific findings from studies utilizing cell- and lineage-specific TTP deletion mice to test hypotheses regarding TTP's role in modulating allergen-induced respiratory inflammation, as well as pharmacological investigations into TTP stabilization as a potential anti-inflammatory intervention. As a 1862 Land Grant research institution with extensive federal research infrastructure, NC State will conduct this research at its Raleigh, North Carolina location, with the ultimate objective of generating scientific knowledge and methodological advances to support the development of novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies for allergic respiratory diseases.