Recent Grants
Office of the Vice Provost for Research
Research grants are vital to advancing the pioneering work of Tufts University School of Medicine. Here, we highlight the significant funding our faculty and researchers have recently secured to advance their groundbreaking work. These grants play a crucial role in fostering academic excellence and driving forward our mission to expand scientific knowledge and improve healthcare.
Explore the list below to learn more about the latest research endeavors being supported by grants.
November 2024 Grants
Cardiac fibroblast MHCII contribution to cardiac pathophysiology in Doxorubicin cardiomyopathy
- Total Anticipated: $135,486
- Principal Investigator: Maria Zambrano, PhD student of immunology
- Sponsor: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
CRCNS: Dissection and control of temporal dynamics in a cognitive thalamocortical network
- Total Anticipated: $206,250
- Principal Investigator: Michael Halassa, associate professor of neuroscience
- Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health
Evaluating a synaptic and GABAergic interneuron-centered model for major depressive disorder
- Total Anticipated: $69,833
- Principal Investigator: Alexei Bygrave, assistant professor of neuroscience
- Sponsor: Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
Exploring the Weight Shaming Experiences of Autistic Youth and Young Adults
- Total Anticipated: $34,953
- Principal Investigator: Karen Errichetti, assistant professor of public health and community medicine
- Sponsor: Health Resources & Services Administration
Harnessing Electronic Health Records for Surveillance of Lyme Disease in the Northeastern United States
- Total Anticipated: $336,287
- Principal Investigator: Linden Hu, professor of immunology, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mechanism of Ponatinib induced vascular toxicity
- Total Anticipated: $98,698
- Principal Investigator: Alec Stepanian, MD, PhD student in genetics, molecular & cellular biology
- Sponsor: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
October 2024 Grants
Development of 1,2,4-Triazolyl Pyridine Compounds and their derivatives as a New Treatment for Tuberculosis
- Total Anticipated: $49,614
- Principal Investigator: Bree Aldridge, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Eliminating senescent astrocytes to improve brain function in Alzheimer's Disease and aging
- Total Anticipated: $150,000
- Principal Investigator: Christopher Dulla, professor of neuroscience
- Sponsor: Ellison Foundation
Enhancing regulatory T cell fitness and function with Vitamin B1 to treat autoimmune neuroinflammation
- Total Anticipated: $150,000
- Principal Investigator: Xudong Li, assistant professor of immunology
- Sponsor: Ellison Foundation
Harnessing Neurosteroids for Next Generation Biomarker Discovery and Trans-diagnostic Tools in Stress-related Psychiatric Illnesses
- Total Anticipated: $70,000
- Principal Investigator: Najah Walton, postdoctoral scholar of neuroscience
- Sponsor: Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
K+ nanosensors to understand astrocyte electrical activity
- Total Anticipated: $70,000
- Principal Investigator: Christopher Dulla, professor of neuroscience
- Sponsor: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Nanoparticles for precision therapy in aging-associated osteoarthritis
- Total Anticipated: $150,000
- Principal Investigator: Li Zeng, associate professor of immunology
- Sponsor: Ellison Foundation
Studies on G-protein coupled receptors that are activated by neuroactive steroids
- Total Anticipated: $2,819,670
- Principal Investigator: Stephen Moss, professor of neuroscience
- Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health
September 2024 Grants
Contract #INTF2400HH2241733591
- Total Anticipated: $149,700
- Principal Investigator: Thomas Stopka, professor of public health and community medicine
- Sponsor: Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Evaluation of siRNA-based drugs as pro-regenerative disease-modifying therapeutics for age-related olfactory loss
- Total Anticipated: $177,437
- Principal Investigator: James Schwob, professor of developmental, molecular and chemical biology
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Examination of Xylazine Exposure and the Risk of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in People Who Inject Drugs
- Total Anticipated: $453,750
- Principal Investigator: Shikhar Shrestha, assistant professor of public health and community medicine
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Metabolomics to optimize TB drug discovery and target selection (INV-070003)
- Total Anticipated: $261,800
- Principal Investigator: Bree Aldridge, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Preparation of a Phase I/II safety and efficacy trial for a cholera phage cocktail intervention
- Total Anticipated: $25,629
- Principal Investigator: Andrew Camilli, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
The impact of aging on neutrophil-mediated protection and inflammation in the female genital mucosa
- Total Anticipated: $18,105
- Principal Investigator: Albert Tai, research assistant professor of immunology
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
August 2024 Grants
Impact of mast cell heterogeneity on Osteoarthritis
- Total Anticipated: $452,437
- Principal Investigator: Li Zeng, associate professor of immunology
- Sponsor: National Institute on Aging
Structural and antigenic characterization of human cytomegalovirus gB
- Total Anticipated: $45,183
- Principal Investigator: Maria Krasilnikov, PhD student in molecular microbiology
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Systematic measurement of drug interactions in Borrelia burgdorferi
- Total Anticipated: $150,000
- Principal Investigator: Trever Smith, research assistant professor of microbiology
- Sponsor: Bay Area Lyme Foundation
July 2024 Grants
Dissecting the Role of TRPV1 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Innervation
- Total Anticipated: $197,088
- Principal Investigator: Hanan Bloomer, MD/PhD student in genetics, molecular & cellular biology
- Sponsor: National Cancer Institute
Mitigation of erythrocyte adhesion in human malaria
- Total Anticipated: $429,000
- Principal Investigator: Athar Chishti, professor of developmental, molecular and chemical biology
- Sponsor: NIH - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Molecular pathways that strengthen GABAergic inhibition and reduce seizure susceptibility
- Total Anticipated: $393,525
- Principal Investigator: Stephen Moss, professor of neuroscience
- Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Pseudoprotease-mediated regulation of germinant sensing in Clostridioides difficile
- Total Anticipated: $45,162
- Principal Investigator: Morgan Mcnellis, PhD student in molecular microbiology - MERGE-ID
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
June 2024 Grants
Atypical astrocytes in aging and Alzheimer's Disease
- Total Anticipated: $4,145,880
- Principal Investigator: Christopher Dulla, professor and interim chair of neuroscience
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Cytosolic DNA sensing instructs resident macrophage vitality and organismal and longevity
- Total Anticipated: $2,674,538
- Principal Investigator: Shruti Sharma, assistant professor of immunology
- Sponsor: Hevolution Foundation Advancing Geroscience Effort
Enhanced genetic targeting of specific neuronal populations using a minipromoter and splicing hybrid approach
- Total Anticipated: $468,126
- Principal Investigator: Alexei Bygrave, associate professor of developmental, molecular and chemical biology
- Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Exploring the role of calcium homeostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth control
- Total Anticipated: $30,000
- Principal Investigator: Shumin Tan, associate professor of molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: Potts Memorial Foundation
Identification of opioid-related incidents in emergency medical service dataset using natural language processin
- Total Anticipated: $200,000
- Principal Investigator: Shikhar Shrestha, assistant professor of public health and community medicine
- Sponsor: American Public Health Association
Mechanisms by which ICP3 Overcomes Vibrio cholerae Phage Defenses
- Total Anticipated: $421,590
- Principal Investigator: Andrew Camilli, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Multidisciplinary phenotyping of a novel humanized LOAD mouse model
- Total Anticipated: $300,000
- Principal Investigator: Giuseppina Tesco, professor of neuroscience
- Sponsor: BrightFocus Foundation
Preclinical Regimen Design and Clinical Translation for TB (PReDiCTr-TB) Consortium
- Total Anticipated: $332,951
- Principal Investigator: Bree Aldridge, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Understanding bacterial/host potassium uptake and cholesterol interplay during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
- Total Anticipated: $100,000
- Principal Investigator: Yue (Rachel) Chen, postdoctoral scholar, molecular biology and microbiology
- Sponsor: American Lung Association
A complete list of research grants awarded to Tufts University faculty can be found here.