Project Grant 2136169

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences provides $300,000 to the University of California, San Diego for research titled "EAGER: DEVELOPING A HIGHLY SELECTIVE, ORTHOGONAL, ENZYMATIC RNA LABELING TECHNOLOGY VIA DIRECTED EVOLUTION OF AN RNA TRANSGLYCOSYLASE." The period of performance is from August 15, 2021 to July 31, 2023.

The funding supports research under the NSF's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074). The goal of this program is to advance the biological sciences and strengthen the nation's scientific enterprise by increasing scientific knowledge and understanding of major problems. Specifically, this Project Grant will further the development of a new enzymatic RNA labeling technology using directed evolution techniques to modify an RNA transglycosylase enzyme. The research aims to create a highly selective and orthogonal method for site-specific RNA labeling, which could provide new tools to study RNA structure and function. The University of California, San Diego will deliver the proposed research services through the grant period.