Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Northwestern University's Sponsored Research Division received a $654,376 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), effective February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2031. The award supports fundamental research investigating the structural and functional organization of the peripheral taste system, specifically examining how taste quality (sweet, bitter, umami, salty, sour), intensity, and valence information is encoded at the peripheral level before central brain processing occurs.

The research deliverables encompass three primary investigative aims conducted at Northwestern's Evanston, Illinois facility: assessment of tastant-evoked activity in taste receptor cells in vivo; visualization of tastant-evoked responses in intragemmal gustatory nerve fibers; and interrogation of synaptic-level connectivity in taste buds. The project will generate scientific insights into peripheral taste coding mechanisms using mouse models, with particular focus on maintaining distinct encoding of different valence types (appetitive versus aversive responses) despite potential broadening of individual cell tuning. The research advances understanding of how the gustatory sensory system processes external chemical stimuli and initiates hardwired behavioral responses, contributing to basic science knowledge relevant to taste and communication disorders.