Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Florida International University received a $489,258 Project Grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113), awarded on April 24, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2031. This research project investigates the crosstalk between epitranscriptomic RNA modifications, specifically N6-methyladenosine (m6A), and DNA damage repair mechanisms. The research will examine how environmental genotoxicants such as potassium bromate (KBrO3) and manganese ions (Mn2+) induce RNA and DNA damage, with a focus on understanding how RNA damage modulates DNA base excision repair (BER) fidelity and how m6A modifications regulate DNA damage repair on R-loop structures in human kidney cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cell-differentiated neural cells.

The project comprises three specific research aims utilizing advanced methodologies including circular RNA-mediated damage systems, artificial intelligence tools (AlphaFold3), molecular dynamics simulations, and steady-state enzyme kinetics to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying genome and epitranscriptome instability. Deliverables will include mechanistic findings on how environmental stressors synergize RNA and DNA damage pathways, characterization of m6A deposition patterns on R-loops under environmental stress, and identification of how RNA modifications disrupt DNA repair processes—findings intended to advance understanding of cancer and neurodegeneration pathways triggered by environmental exposures.