Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Illinois received a $440,908 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), awarded June 1, 2026, with completion targeted for March 31, 2031. The award supports a five-year research initiative investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms linking dysbiosis (microbiome imbalance), organ injury, and systemic inflammation to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in critically ill patients. The research will validate dysbiosis as a critical risk factor exacerbating organ injury across various models, identify organ-specific mechanisms in dysbiosis-initiated systemic inflammation and MODS, and target dysbiosis-induced metabolic and epigenetic alterations to identify prevention and treatment strategies.

The research program addresses a significant clinical gap by examining how intestinal dysbiosis resulting from trauma, burns, and surgery compromises gut defenses and heightens susceptibility to nosocomial infections and systemic inflammation in intensive care unit patients. By focusing on innate immune responses as the first line of defense—an area previously underemphasized in critical illness research—the award aims to elucidate mechanisms poorly understood in current clinical practice and develop therapeutically relevant interventions to reduce ICU mortality associated with MODS.