Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Northwestern University's Sponsored Research Division received a $214,329 Project Grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), awarded on May 6, 2026, with completion scheduled for April 30, 2028. The research will be conducted at Northwestern's Chicago, Illinois facility and investigates infection-driven inflammation as a novel driver of neurodegeneration in primary mitochondrial diseases (PMDs).

The grant funds translational research aimed at defining how infections causally accelerate neurological decline in PMD patients through immune cell dysfunction. Deliverables include comprehensive immunophenotyping and functional assessment of patient immune cells using single-cell RNA sequencing and cytokine profiling, combined with mechanistic studies using the NDUFS4 knockout mouse model of PMD to establish causality between mitochondrial dysfunction in immune cells and neurodegeneration following influenza infection. The research will integrate translational pipelines to advance understanding of post-infectious neurologic sequelae with broader applications to other infection-associated chronic neurologic conditions and post-viral fatigue syndromes, ultimately supporting the development of therapeutic interventions targeting immune dysfunction in mitochondrial disease.