Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Wichita State University's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs received a $534,074 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. The award funds the design, simulation, prototyping, and demonstration of a novel ultra-sensitive micro-resonator for X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The micro-resonator technology is intended to increase the sensitivity of current state-of-the-art X-band EPR spectrometers by an order of magnitude, enabling EPR analysis of diluted and volume-limited biomacromolecular samples—particularly metalloproteins, membrane proteins, and G-proteins that currently cannot yield measurable signals due to sample scarcity. The resonator will be designed for ease of manufacture using standard commercial printed circuit board substrates and seamless integration with existing X-band EPR equipment.

This project addresses a significant gap in structural biology research, as proteins requiring purification in limited quantities constitute approximately 30 percent of all current drug targets. By enabling EPR characterization of previously intractable low-yield samples, the technology is expected to advance understanding of protein structure-function relationships critical to drug development and mechanistic studies of enzymes and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species quantification.