Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) received a $2.13 million Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), awarded May 1, 2026, with completion targeted for January 31, 2031. The award funds the Oklahoma Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Sensory Biology (OCBRESB), a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) initiative designed to establish and advance the field of sensory biology at OUHSC. The center will investigate cellular mechanisms by which organisms sense their environment, utilizing diverse model organisms from C. elegans and algae to mice and human tissue.

The OCBRESB will deliver research infrastructure and investigative services through an administrative core led by Dr. Leonidas Tsiokas and four integrated research projects focusing on sensory signaling mechanisms in vision, neurodevelopment, neuronal function, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The center will support two research cores providing state-of-the-art technical capabilities in super-resolution imaging and cell and genetic engineering. Research activities will encompass cell signaling studies across plasma membranes via sensory organelles including cilia and flagella, examination of specialized cell surface signaling domains such as dendrites and immunological synapses, and investigation of cell surface molecules including receptors and ion channels. The program will initially concentrate on cilia biology and associated disease mechanisms before expanding to encompass broader sensory modalities.