The National Science Foundation Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences awarded Duke University $879,752 on October 1, 2025, under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to study multiscale mechanics of septin assembly and curvature sensing in biological cells.
The research investigates how septin proteins—which measure only several nanometers—sense cell membrane curvature at the micron scale, a process critical to cellular functions including cell division and spatial navigation. The project examines septin assembly across three organizational scales: molecular-level binding of individual septin molecules, formation of larger septin filaments, and whole-cell distribution patterns on the membrane. Duke University will also conduct public education activities on self-organization in biology for middle school and high school students and teachers, and train multidisciplinary undergraduate and graduate students at the interface of physics, mathematics, and biology.
Performance is based in Durham, North Carolina, with a period of performance from October 1, 2025, through August 31, 2029. The assistance type is a project grant.