WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services has approved an Academic Research Enhancement Award of $147,000 for the University of Maine in Orono, U.S. Rep. John Baldacci announced Thursday.

The funding is being made available through the DHHS National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The grant will fund a study of Toll receptors, which serve critical functions in the body’s first line of defense against infection. The information gained from this research is expected to provide new insights into early defenses against infection. The research should be relevant to the design of effective vaccines and development of new ways to treat infections at the earliest stages.