Federal Grant Award Summary

Duke University's Office of Research Administration received a $581,258 Project Grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), effective June 1, 2026, through February 28, 2031. The award supports investigator-initiated research examining transposable elements (TEs) as mechano-response enhancer elements (MREEs) that regulate human embryonic stem cell (hESC) fate in response to mechanical stimuli. The project will deliver rigorous scientific investigation and discovery across three primary research aims: determining how mechanical signals regulate local chromatin activity of TE MREEs; elucidating long-range chromatin interactions between TE MREEs and distal target genes in response to mechanical cues; and delineating the mechanisms by which TE MREEs modulate hESC fate.

This research program is expected to advance fundamental understanding of genome-environment interactions and shift the current paradigm in mechanobiology from protein-coding genes to non-coding regulatory elements such as transposable elements. The deliverables will include peer-reviewed scientific findings, characterization of novel molecular mechanisms governing TE regulation, and assessment of biological significance regarding the role of transposable elements in developmental gene regulation. The work will be conducted at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, leveraging the institution's multidisciplinary research expertise and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in support of federal research priorities related to child health and human development.