Project Grant W81XWH1710604

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.855), provides $461,375 to Yale University to systematically identify interactions between Lyme disease bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) and the extracellular, secreted, and transmembrane proteins of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis. The goal is to develop a better understanding of the critical pathogen-vector...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.855), provides $281,786 to L2 Diagnostics LLC for the development of a safe and effective viral vector-based vaccine to induce both humoral and cellular immune protection against Powassan virus. The goal is to leverage the Modified Vaccinia Ankara vector platform to stimulate robust antibody and T cell responses that...

This $199,984 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) aims to increase the fundamental understanding of the immune response to various Lyme disease antigens using bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as a novel carrier system. The research objectives are to: 1) explore fusion proteins as a proof of concept to present full Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) antigens on OMVs, 2) determine the potential to express multiple BB antigen epitopes on...

This Project Grant award of $509,130 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) supports research at the University of South Florida to investigate the global virulence regulatory network of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. The key objectives are to: 1) Define the BosR regulon and characterize how BosR-regulated genes contribute to the infectious cycle of B. burgdorferi; 2) Examine the biological roles of...

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...

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $207,262 Project Grant under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to The Washington University in Saint Louis to develop an mRNA vaccine against Bourbon virus, an emerging tick-borne pathogen. The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of the mRNA vaccine in a mouse model and determine its mechanism of action. A secondary objective is to test different viral antigens and...

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 $3,315,179 to Tufts University School of Medicine to conduct research on the microbial determinants of excessive inflammation and severe Lyme disease. The researchers will leverage a unique collection of clinical samples and isogenic Borrelia burgdorferi strains to systematically delineate the immunogenic...

This $436,236 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) aims to develop a sensitive solid-state biosensor that targets the Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) protease as a biomarker to accurately diagnose both early- and late-stage active Lyme disease infections. The award to The Leland Stanford Junior University will fund research to create an epitaxial graphene-based biosensor that provides high...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.855), will fund research to characterize the roles of tick inhibitors of metalloproteases in the transmission of the Lyme disease agent by blacklegged ticks. The $423,106 award to Texas A&M AgriLife Research, a component of the Texas A&M University System, will enable two specific aims: 1) unveiling the protease...

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 $191,250 to Washington State University (WSU) to conduct research on the immune evasion mechanism of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. The award supports mechanistic studies on the role of genetic factors in the antigenic variation of the VlsE surface protein, a key mechanism for persistent...