# Probing the role of peptidoglycan modification in the antibody response to Staphylococcus aureus

> **NIH NIH P01** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 2024 · $194,355

## Abstract

ABSTRACT Project 2: University of Delaware - Grimes
The P01 entitled Multidimensional development of high-affinity anti-glycan antibodies to fight deadly
bacterial infections aims to develop novel strategies to combat bacterial infections. The whole project grant
aims to develop therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of bacterial resistant infections. Project 2, entitled
“Probing the role of peptidoglycan modification in the antibody response to Staphylococcus aureus” will focus on
bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus is typically treated with penicillin or glycopeptides;
however precedent resistant stains to both classes of antibiotics have emerged. As such, the World Health
Organization has placed it on the priority list for new antibiotics. Project 2 will focus on the synthesis of bacterial
peptidoglycan (PGN) fragments from Staphylococcus aureus, with a strong emphasis on two modifications used
by Sa to modify PGN: acetylation and wall teichoic acids (WTA). As the bacterial cell wall and peptidoglycans
are critical to human health it represents an excellent antibody target: humans do not have these cell walls and
they are essential to bacteria. The modified peptidoglycan fragments from S. aureus synthesized in the project
will provide the biologically relevant fragments necessary to produce, characterize and validate the clinically
relevant antibodies throughout this entire project.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10839313
- **Project number:** 5P01AI172525-02
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine Leimkuhler Grimes
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $194,355
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-09 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10839313

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10839313, Probing the role of peptidoglycan modification in the antibody response to Staphylococcus aureus (5P01AI172525-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10839313. Licensed CC0.

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