Project Grant R43AI142877

This Project Grant award, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), supports research to elucidate the structural, morphological, rheological, and functional changes that occur in red blood cells (RBCs) infected by the Babesia parasite, the causative agent of babesiosis. The overarching goal is to identify the key Babesia proteins, including proteases, that interact with and alter the host...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $431,143 to Tufts University School of Medicine to develop methods for continuous in vitro propagation of the parasite Babesia microti. The goal is to enable new drug development and improve understanding of the biology of this parasite, which has led to increased human babesiosis cases in the Northeastern United...

The University of Pittsburgh was awarded a $477,000 Project Grant from the Department of the Army Medical Command under the Military Medical Research and Development program. The three-year grant will fund research into the vertical transmission of Babesia microti and the role of maternal antibodies in preventing infection. Babesia microti is a parasite that causes babesiosis, a malaria-like disease, and this research aims to advance understanding of transmission and immunity. The grant will...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Emerging Infections Programs (CFDA 93.317) provides $3,200,000 in funding over a 5-year period starting September 1, 2024 to establish a nationwide cohort of blood donors. The goal is to estimate the burden of respiratory viruses and characterize the immunologic response in this population. The primary awardee, Vitalant, will collaborate with sub-awardees Westat and the American Red Cross to...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $550,000 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to develop a rapid, multiplexed diagnostic tool for serological testing of tick-borne diseases (TBDs). This 2-year project seeks to improve blood-based detection of TBDs, including Lyme disease, Babesia, Anaplasma, and relapsing fever, through an innovative point-of-care (POC) serological assay. The goal is...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), will support the development of a novel universal rapid test for HIV diagnosis. IGE Immunodiagnostics & Therapeutics, LLC, a minority-owned small business, will receive $294,948 to adapt their existing HIV ELISA test into a 5th generation antigen/antibody combination rapid test format. The goal is to create a simple, rapid,...

This $300,000 Project Grant, awarded by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) program, will support the development of a sensitive, high-throughput multiplex diagnostic assay to simultaneously detect six major tick-borne pathogens, including Anaplasma, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Babesia, and Theileria. This assay will leverage barcoded magnetic bead technology to rapidly identify the causative agents of...

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.855), awarded a $884,453 Project Grant to Brigham & Women's Hospital Inc. to develop a rapid, cost-effective point-of-care (POC) diagnostic test for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) detection. The 5-year project, which commenced on November 22, 2024, aims to create a highly sensitive and specific HCV antigen (Ag) testing solution that can streamline...

This $870,886 federal Project Grant, awarded by the Defense Health Agency under the Military Medical Research and Development program (CFDA 12.420), supports the development of a subunit vaccine against Babesiosis caused by Babesia microti at Tufts Medical Center Parent, Inc., a non-profit academic medical center in Boston, MA. The 3-year award, which began on September 1, 2023, will fund research efforts to create a new vaccine to prevent this tick-borne illness that can affect military...

This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $874,372 to Yale University to conduct research on parasite-derived vesicles in Babesia virulence and vaccine development. The research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which Babesia species communicate with their host and leverage this knowledge to engineer an effective and safe vaccine for...