Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center received a $517,014 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective June 1, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2030. This award supports fundamental biomedical research investigating selective autophagy mechanisms mediated by TRIM (Tripartite Motif Containing) proteins, with the objective of understanding how these proteins coordinate the recognition and elimination of damaged cellular components, including mitochondria and lysosomes.

The research project will comprehensively examine TRIM protein function in selective autophagy through three coordinated aims. The initial phases will dissect TRIM5-mediated mitophagy (autophagic degradation of damaged mitochondria) to establish mechanistic principles regarding TRIM activation and autophagy machinery engagement. Subsequent research aims will investigate whether comparable mechanisms are employed by TRIM27 in mitophagy and TRIM16 in lysophagy (autophagic elimination of damaged lysosomes), thereby establishing whether different TRIM family members utilize similar or distinct pathways in executing selective autophagy functions. The results are expected to advance fundamental understanding of cellular health maintenance processes and provide a foundational framework for investigating selective autophagy mechanisms across the TRIM protein family.