Project Grant DP2NS136873

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) received a $1,377,516 Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) to conduct cell-type-specific proteomic research on brain white matter. The 3-year project aims to define the molecular landscape of brain white matter with regional, temporal, cellular, and subcellular specificity, in both healthy mice and disease models. Researchers will leverage proximity-based proteomics and viral tools to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying glia-neuron and glia-glia crosstalk in the brain's white matter, with a focus on astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. This work seeks to address critical gaps in understanding brain white matter development, function, and disease pathology. The project will provide an unprecedented molecular-level view of this understudied yet vital component of the brain.