Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Indiana University Indianapolis received a $332,403 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, through May 31, 2030. This focused technology research and development award supports the identification and characterization of the interactome and function of spinophilin and neurabin—two abundant protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) targeting proteins—across diverse cell and tissue types. The project delivers advanced genetic tools and analytical methodologies, including cell type-specific knockout mouse models and novel constructs for epitope tagging of these proteins with ALFA tags and proximity ligase systems to map protein-protein interactions at high resolution.

The research addresses a critical knowledge gap regarding how neurabins regulate PP1 spatial and temporal signaling in both normal physiology and disease pathology. By developing and leveraging these innovative technologies, the award enables systematic investigation of neuraubin function across multiple biological contexts, with direct relevance to understanding disease mechanisms in neurological disorders, cancers, immune dysfunction, and metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The project's outputs—including characterized interactome maps and functional datasets—will establish the scientific foundation for future therapeutic targeting of PP1-related signaling pathways.