Project Grant 2212121

This $462,332 National Science Foundation project grant supports research into biomechanical regulation of intranuclear elastography and gene location in single cells. The NSF Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation awarded this funding through the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to The Regents of the University of Colorado on September 1, 2022 for completion by August 31, 2025.

The University of Colorado will conduct fundamental research measuring gene expression and positioning within cell nuclei under applied mechanical forces. The project aims to provide new methods and data describing spatial patterns of strain and material properties in single cell nuclei subjected to physiologically relevant conditions. It also seeks direct evidence linking gene activation to gene location and chromatin mechanics following cell stimulation. Results of this work will advance understanding of how cells actively adapt to mechanical forces at the nuclear level through regulation of gene expression.