Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Antivirulence Inhibitors of Bacterial Type IV Pili: A Strategy Against Antibiotic Resistance

Award Number: R21AI200038
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/12/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Antivirulence Inhibitors of Bacterial Type IV Pili: A Strategy Against Antibiotic Resistance - Project Summary Antibiotic resistance (ABR) poses an urgent and escalating threat to global public health. This crisis is fueled by the widespread use, overuse, and misuse of antibiotics in both clinical and agricultural settings. By targeting essential bacterial processes, antibiotics exert strong selective pressure that drives the survival and expansion of resistant populations. This evolutionary pressure, compounded by the inherent genetic adaptability of bacteria and horizontal gene transfer, accelerates the emergence and spread of ABR. An emerging but underutilized strategy to combat ABR is antivirulence therapy, which targets virulence factors required for pathogenesis but not for bacterial viability. Because these agents do not threaten bacterial survival directly, they impose less selective pressure for resistance development. Immunotherapeutics that neutralize bacterial toxins provide the proof of principle for this approach. A promising and scalable direction within antivirulence therapy lies in the development of small-molecule inhibitors that interfere with virulence mechanisms. One of the most compelling yet understudied targets is the type IV pilus (T4P), which is present in several high-priority Gram-negative pathogens. It is a bacterial cell surface structure composed of multiple conserved proteins serving as attractive and druggable targets. The overarching goal of this project is to advance T4P-targeting antivirulence therapeutics through two specific aims. Aim 1 will conduct structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies of a novel T4P inhibitor to improve potency and selectivity. Aim 2 will perform high- throughput screening using an innovative phenotypic platform to identify new chemical entities that inhibit T4P biogenesis and function. Successful completion of these aims will establish a robust pipeline for the discovery and preclinical development of T4P-targeting antivirulence agents, laying the foundation for a novel class of therapeutics to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.


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 = $225,846 )
2026	2026	VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY	300 TURNER ST NW	BLACKSBURG	VA	24060	MONTGOMERY	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	6/16/2026	NEW	$225,846
														Subtotal = $225,846

Grand Total All Awards = $225,846

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Antivirulence Inhibitors of Bacterial Type IV Pili: A Strategy Against Antibiotic Resistance

Award Number: R21AI200038

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/12/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer