Project Grant 2203559

The University of Kentucky Research Foundation was awarded a $780,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences federal grant program (CFDA 47.049) to develop new chemical tools to study protein function through metal-mediated ligand affinity chemistry. Principal Investigator Samuel G. Awuah and his research team will apply synthetic chemistry and molecular biology approaches to study reactions of specific amino acids with metal-based compounds for protein modulation, with the goal of establishing fundamental principles that could have long-term impact in elucidating biological pathways and protein interactions. Undergraduate students, including those from underrepresented groups in STEM fields, will gain experience in interdisciplinary science at the interface of inorganic, organic, biological and analytical chemistry. If successful, the work could provide critical solutions for selective protein modification and expand the functional and therapeutic applications of proteins. The three-year award period runs from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025.