Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded The Regents of the University of Colorado a Project Grant totaling $221,875 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct basic research on bacterial virulence mechanisms. The award, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, funds research to establish mechanisms by which the AcrAB-TolC resistance-nodulation-division (RND) efflux pump contributes to bacterial infection and virulence in Enterobacteriaceae, particularly Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The research specifically investigates whether this major bacterial efflux pump is required for infection by enabling physiological responses to nitrosative stress and host fatty acids encountered within macrophage phagosomes.

The project addresses a critical gap in understanding why bacteria require RND efflux pumps during infection independent of antibiotic pressure, with the long-term objective of identifying therapeutic targets for efflux pump inhibitors as potential antimicrobial interventions. Research activities will be conducted at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, a major federal research institution with extensive experience executing NIAID-funded biomedical research across infectious disease, immunology, and related disciplines.