Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Pennsylvania received a $621,891 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Biological Infrastructure under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), awarded July 15, 2026, with completion targeted for June 30, 2029. This collaborative research initiative investigates the role of dihydrouridine (DHU), a recently discovered RNA covalent modification, in maintaining photosynthesis and metabolism under environmental stress in plants. The project delivers fundamental scientific research utilizing cutting-edge genomic and transcriptomic techniques alongside machine-learning and artificial intelligence-assisted methods to elucidate how DHU influences messenger RNA (mRNA) stability, structure, and localization, particularly in the context of drought and heat stress responses.

The research outputs address plant stress tolerance mechanisms with direct applications to agricultural resilience and biotechnology innovation. Given that the DHU modification machinery is conserved across yeast and humans, findings are expected to yield translational insights applicable to human health and broader understanding of RNA chemical modifications shared across eukaryotes. Beyond fundamental discovery, the project supports the public interest through biotechnology advancement and structured education and mentoring initiatives targeting undergraduate students with limited exposure to computational and RNA biology, thereby developing a technologically literate scientific workforce.