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Role of the Choroid Plexus in Neutrophil Recruitment After Traumatic Brain Injury

Award Number: K08NS148716
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/18/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2031

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Role of the Choroid Plexus in Neutrophil Recruitment After Traumatic Brain Injury - This is a proposal for a five-year research career development program focused on the role of the choroid plexus in neutrophil entry into the brain after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The principal investigator, Dr. Prajwal Ciryam, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and attending neurointensivist in the Department of Neurology and Program in Trauma at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has 75% protected time for research, independent laboratory and office space, institutional funds to support his research, and a committed mentorship team in place. The candidate is carrying out the proposed project with the guidance of his primary mentor Dr. J. Marc Simard and co-mentors Dr. Seth Ament and Dr. Peter Crino. They will advise on a gap- based training plan combining formal didactics and experiential learning, through which the candidate will pursue four learning goals: 1) animal models of TBI, 2) neuroimmunology, 3) gene editing and transcriptomics, and 4) laboratory leadership. These efforts will promote the candidate’s long-term goal to be an independent physician-scientist and leader in studying and treating TBI. Five million people in the United States live with disabilities caused by TBI. Secondary brain injury in TBI leads to morbidity and is driven in part by a strong inflammatory response that is dependent on neutrophils and has no treatment. A promising approach to reduce inflammation-driven secondary brain injury in TBI is to block neutrophils from entering the brain. This requires addressing a major gap in knowledge about how neutrophils enter the brain after TBI. A growing body of evidence suggests that the choroid plexus is critical for the entry of neutrophils into the brain in other acute brain injuries. Dr. Ciryam’s preliminary data in a mouse model and human cerebrospinal fluid samples suggest that the choroid plexus is an important site for neutrophils to enter the brain after TBI. To advance this work, the candidate proposes the following Specific Aims. Specific Aim 1 will elucidate the role of the choroid plexus in neutrophil entry to the brain in a mouse model of TBI. Specific Aim 2 will determine the association of CXCR2 ligand levels and neutrophil functional states in human TBI. These aims are enabled by innovative methodologies to: 1) assay neutrophils in the choroid plexus, 2) knock out target genes in the choroid plexus using CRISPR, and 3) generate the first snRNA-seq data in CSF from patients with TBI. These studies will generate new tools for studying choroid plexus biology, provide mechanistic insight about neutrophil entry via the choroid plexus after TBI, and pave the way to translate these findings into novel biomarkers and therapies.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $229,625 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE	220 ARCH ST OFC LEVEL2	BALTIMORE	MD	21201	BALTIMORE CITY	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	8/14/2026	NEW	$229,625
														Subtotal = $229,625

Grand Total All Awards = $229,625

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Role of the Choroid Plexus in Neutrophil Recruitment After Traumatic Brain Injury

Award Number: K08NS148716

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/18/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2031

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