Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Cincinnati's Sponsored Research Services Division received a $590,513 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (CFDA 47.041) effective September 1, 2026, with completion targeted for August 31, 2029. The award supports integrated experimental and computational research aimed at understanding mitochondrial dysfunction following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The research team will develop a continuum mixture theory-based computational model calibrated and validated against three-dimensional in vitro experiments to establish biomechanical relationships between tissue-level mechanical impacts and mitochondrial-cytoskeletal interactions in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. This foundational research seeks to identify the specific mechanical inputs that trigger cellular and mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby advancing understanding of neurodegenerative pathways associated with concussion and TBI.

The project delivers both fundamental scientific knowledge and applied analytical tools with direct relevance to public health and workforce productivity. By establishing the experimental-computational foundation linking head impact biomechanics to subcellular mechanisms of injury, the research addresses the substantial burden of TBI on the U.S. workforce, estimated at $4 billion annually in acute costs and over $40 billion in related healthcare expenditures. Products include validated computational models, mechanobiological data characterizing injury thresholds across multiple cell types, and an integrated framework for future biomechanical and mechanobiological investigations that may eventually inform targeted treatments and prevention strategies for TBI.