Bacteria and your body: how infections change metabolism and immunity
Official title: Bacterial modulation of host metabolism and immunity during infection
Funded at University of Texas Arlington · NIH-11339987 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how certain bacteria affect how our bodies use nutrients and fight infection, with the goal of improving treatments for drug-resistant infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Arlington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Arlington, United States) |
| Project start | June 25, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $583,822 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AI198349-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11339987 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with bacterial infections, especially drug-resistant meningitis and listeriosis, may benefit from advances arising from this work.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit may be limited in the short term while basic mechanisms are being clarified.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how anti-folate antibiotics interact with bacterial metabolism inside and outside cells, using a Listeria monocytogenes model to understand thymineless death and bacterial survival. The project will explore how bacterial signals and host cell responses shape resistance, focusing on the roles of c-di-AMP and STING in these processes. By learning these pathways, scientists hope to identify new ways to enhance existing therapies or develop better treatments for tough bacterial infections. The research involves laboratory experiments with bacterial models and human-relevant cellular environments to mirror real infections.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how bacteria evade drug action could lead to more effective therapies for drug-resistant infections.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown that bacterial signaling molecules influence host pathways and drug efficacy, but the exact links to thymineless death are still being defined.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Arlington
Arlington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tang, Qing — University of Texas Arlington
- Study coordinator: Tang, Qing
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.