Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded a Project Grant totaling $129,684 under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to The Regents of the University of Colorado-Denver, effective July 1, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2028. This award supports fundamental research investigating the mechanisms of physiologic DNA damage in multiciliated cells, with particular focus on how these specialized cells amplify centrioles during differentiation. The research addresses a critical gap in understanding how multiciliated cells bypass conventional cell cycle-regulated counting mechanisms to assemble tens to hundreds of centrioles that serve as nucleation sites for motile cilia.

The funded research will be conducted under the direction of Dr. Chad Pearson at the University of Colorado and will combine expertise in cell biology with advanced genomics and quantitative microscopy methodologies. The project includes specialized training components in next-generation sequencing techniques and development of a new live-cell imaging system to visualize multiciliated cell differentiation in real-time. These research products will establish a novel research niche examining the independent role of DNA damage signaling in centriole amplification during cell differentiation, with potential implications for understanding developmental processes and cellular dysfunction in respiratory, neurological, and reproductive systems.