Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Massachusetts General Hospital (the awardee, operating as The General Hospital Corporation) received a $813,961 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) effective February 1, 2026, with completion targeted for November 30, 2030. The award funds basic biomedical research investigating bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 2 and BMP6 ligand formation and function in development and iron homeostasis. The research will advance understanding of how liver endothelial cell-derived BMP2 and BMP6 regulate systemic iron homeostasis through control of the liver hormone hepcidin, with particular focus on elucidating BMP proteolytic processing, prodomain function, heterodimer formation, and the molecular mechanisms underlying BMP6 prodomain mutations linked to hereditary hemochromatosis.

The research deliverables will include scientific findings on BMP2 and BMP6 dimerization patterns, activation mechanisms, and subcellular trafficking; characterization of prodomain function in ligand maturation and signaling; and mechanistic insights into how specific prodomain mutations impair hepcidin regulation and contribute to iron overload disorders. These research outputs will be generated through experimental work conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital's Boston facility and will contribute to the broader NIDDK objective of improving understanding and treatment of metabolic and kidney diseases through extramural basic and clinical biomedical research.