Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Duke University's Office of Research Administration was awarded $125,000 in funding effective June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2028, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) administered by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). This Project Grant supports fundamental research investigating the role of RNA editing in organizing cellular cytoplasm, with work conducted in Durham, North Carolina under the mentorship of Professor Amy Gladfelter.

The grant funds research designed to advance understanding of how RNA editing—the post-transcriptional substitution of nucleotide bases—influences cellular organization and protein synthesis. Deliverables include identification of novel RNA editing sites across the transcriptome of Physarum polycephalum, development of machine learning models to predict new editing sites with broader application across organisms, and quantitative assessment of how RNA editing events alter protein-RNA assemblies and drive localized protein synthesis changes. The research program incorporates training in bioinformatics, RNA structure manipulation, and machine learning methodologies, with anticipated outcomes producing mechanistic insights into how cells govern RNA editing processes and the role of such modifications in cytoplasmic organization.