Project Grant R01DK142884

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded Trustees of Indiana University (Indiana University Indianapolis) $743,458 under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program on August 10, 2026.

The award funds research investigating the role of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex in adipocyte expansion and its effects on systemic energy and glucose metabolism. The research uses complementary in vitro and in vivo models to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which a SWI/SNF complex subunit regulates the YAP/TAZ-TEAD pathway through liquid-liquid phase separation and nuclear condensate formation in response to adipocyte expansion during obesity. This work addresses dysfunctional adipose tissue characterization, which underlying impaired lipid metabolism, cell death, and inflammation leading to metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

The project period runs from August 10, 2026 through April 30, 2030, with place of performance in Indianapolis, Indiana. The award is a Project Grant, the standard individual research award mechanism under this National Institutes of Health program, which supports extramural basic and clinical biomedical research to improve understanding of disease mechanisms and lead to improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across diabetes, digestive, endocrine, metabolic, and related disease areas.