Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Louisville, through its Office of Research & Innovation Division, received a $398,730 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859). The award, effective July 1, 2026 through May 31, 2031, supports investigator-initiated basic research on lipid regulation of the stem cell niche. The research utilizes Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) testis as a model system to investigate how changes in lipid metabolism affect stem cell niche homeostasis and self-renewal capacity, with findings expected to have translatable implications across species for understanding stem cell maintenance and dysfunction in physiological and pathological conditions.

The project delivers fundamental scientific research aimed at elucidating the mechanistic relationship between lipid accumulation and stem cell loss. Building on preliminary evidence that excess lipid accumulation is detrimental to stem cell function and niche cell viability, the funded research will identify and characterize multiple regulatory mechanisms controlling lipid levels within the testis stem cell niche. Deliverables include novel experimental findings on how lipid metabolism controls somatic cell fate through niche and supporting cell conversion, contributing to NIGMS's mission of advancing understanding of biological processes that underpin disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.