Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Montana received a $1.184 million Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), awarded April 1, 2026, with completion targeted for March 31, 2030. The research initiative focuses on developing high-valent dinuclear cobalt(IV)-oxo complexes to investigate enzymatic bond activation and bond formation processes. This project addresses a significant gap in understanding how late transition metals, specifically cobalt and nickel, function in metalloenzyme catalysis by creating bio-inspired synthetic complexes that mimic natural enzymatic mechanisms. The research outcomes are intended to advance fundamental knowledge of metalloenzyme catalytic strategies and enable development of new pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications through improved understanding of oxidative substrate transformations.

The project's scientific approach involves creating well-characterized high-valent cobalt complexes supported by non-natural organic ligands to study three fundamental bond-breaking and bond-forming reactivities. By combining biomimetic chemistry with advances in artificial metalloenzyme development, this work seeks to provide insights into how these understudied transition metals can be more effectively utilized for difficult oxidative chemical transformations. The research will be conducted at the University of Montana's research facilities in Missoula, Montana, contributing to NIGMS's mission of supporting basic biomedical research that establishes the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.