Project Grant R01DE034700

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research awarded the University of Southern California $675,063 on September 1, 2026, under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research program (CFDA 93.121) to support research deciphering the conserved grammar of craniofacial enhancer function.

The recipient will use the funding to investigate how mutations in gene regulatory elements (enhancers) lead to congenital craniofacial anomalies. The research employs two complementary approaches: mechanistic dissection of well-defined craniofacial enhancers using zebrafish models, and identification of rules governing craniofacial enhancer activity. Preliminary testing identified hundreds of enhancers through single-cell chromatin accessibility sequencing of zebrafish craniofacial mesenchyme, revealing that many craniofacial enhancers display region-specific and cell-type-specific activity patterns. The investigator proposes a model in which craniofacial enhancer activity arises through co-binding of region- and cell-type-specific transcription factors to sub-optimal binding sites, where individual factors alone would be insufficient to drive activity. The research will test this model by examining whether removing binding sites or transcription factors destroys enhancer activity, and whether optimizing sites alters activity patterns and factor dependence.

The award is obligated at $675,063. Work is performed in Los Angeles, California, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. The assistance type is a Project Grant.