Project Grant R01HD069344

This $2,624,970 federal Project Grant, awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310), aims to construct the first-ever foundational in silico (computational) model of whole-embryo mouse embryogenesis. The project will leverage cutting-edge sequencing technology and machine learning techniques to establish a large-scale 3D multi-omics cell atlas of mouse embryogenesis from embryonic day 6.5 to 16.5, involving a total of 50 million...

This federal Project Grant award for $378,123 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) supports research to identify and test mechanisms that establish transcriptional regulatory potency in early embryos. The primary activities include using genomic methods like PRO-seq, DREG, and OMNI-ATAC to characterize transcriptionally active regulatory elements, DNA accessibility, and...

This federal Project Grant award for $169,000.00, provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), supports the development of a single-cell reference atlas of axolotl embryogenesis. The overarching goal is to elucidate the fundamental biological processes required for limb regeneration, with the aim of informing future regenerative medicine strategies for human limb injuries...

This two-year, $1,204,512 National Science Foundation project grant supports research into the robustness and adaptability of the dynamic epigenome through a multiscale approach. Funded under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), the award to Brandeis University involves investigating the fundamental rules that guide adaptive epigenetic changes in cells without alterations to the genetic blueprint. The research utilizes high-resolution imaging, microfluidics, and automated culture...

This $600,019 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports a collaborative research effort led by New York University (NYU) to investigate the structure and function of the X chromosome, with a focus on the process of X-chromosome inactivation. The research team, which also includes researchers from Harvard University and the New Mexico Consortium, will integrate high-resolution genomics data with advanced spatial modeling to...

Federal Project Grant Award Summary The University of Pennsylvania received a $460,771 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective March 1, 2026, through December 31, 2030. This award funds fundamental biomedical research investigating the molecular mechanisms governing zygotic genome activation (ZGA)—the critical developmental transition from maternal to zygotic control of gene...

This $240,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) funds a postdoctoral research fellowship to investigate the role of genome organization on de novo gene origination. The research aims to test a new theoretical model explaining the process of new gene evolution, by examining how the genome's structural features influence the birth of genes that arise from non-coding regions. The key components of the research include: 1)...

This $355,123 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports research to genetically modify the immune system of the African clawed frog (Xenopus tropicalis) to improve its resistance to the deadly chytrid fungus. The goal is to identify how altering the frog's major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes affects its ability to fight off this pathogen and survive infection. The project includes a sub-award to the University...

Grant Award Summary The National Science Foundation's Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences awarded $622,842 to the University of Pennsylvania under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) on May 1, 2026, for collaborative research extending through April 30, 2030. The project investigates the molecular mechanisms controlling zygotic genome activation (ZGA)—the critical transition in early embryonic development from reliance on maternal RNAs to embryo-produced transcripts. Using...

This federal Project Grant award of $899,982 from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports a collaborative research effort to study X-chromosome inactivation and genome organization in human cells. The research team from New York University, Harvard University, and the New Mexico Consortium will integrate advanced genomics data, computational modeling, and biophysical approaches to unravel the complex folding of the X-chromosome and its impact on...