Federal Grant Award Summary

Northeast Ohio Medical University received a $611,680 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Aging under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866), effective February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2031. The award supports biomedical research investigating the molecular mechanisms by which metabolic syndrome accelerates vascular aging. The research focuses on O-GlcNAcylation—a post-translational protein modification—and its role in vascular smooth muscle cell dedifferentiation and dysfunction. The funded research will utilize newly generated conditional knockout mouse models with vascular smooth muscle cell-specific lineage tracing to identify O-GlcNAcylation-dependent molecular signals regulating cell cycle progression and determine whether smooth muscle O-GlcNAcylation drives vascular aging and cellular fate switching in metabolic syndrome.

The project delivers fundamental biomedical research products including experimental findings, molecular characterization studies, and mouse model validation data intended to advance understanding of age-related cardiovascular disease mechanisms. This research aligns with the National Institute on Aging's mission to support investigations of aging processes and age-related diseases through mechanistic studies that may inform future prevention and treatment approaches for cardiovascular complications associated with metabolic syndrome.