The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD) solicits Research Project Grant (R01) applications from institutions/organizations that propose to elucidate the antimicrobial and prebiotic activities of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to stimulate research on how oligosaccharides prevent enteric infections and to develop a new class of antimicrobial therapy to prevent or treat enteric bacterial or viral infections.
A key step in reaching this goal is to develop biosynthetic means of producing large enough quantities of oligosaccharides with antimicrobial properties for preclinical tolerance and safety studies and for safety and clinical testing in populations that are exposed to gastrointestinal pathogens. This FOA should also stimulate research on the expression of genes in the host that determine oligosaccharide assembly and linkage. This line of research should lead to a better understanding of the how oligosaccharide binding sites for specific enteric pathogens are synthesized, packaged, transported, and incorporated into the cell membrane of the enterocyte.
This FOA should also encourage research on oligosaccharides that stimulate the proliferation of beneficial intestinal bacteria and the production of short-chain fatty acids, thereby serving to reduce the incidence and severity of enteric infections.
Studies on the immunomodulatory effects of various oligosaccharides on the function of the intestinal immune system are also encouraged.
