Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) received a $651,069 Project Grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), awarded May 2, 2026, with completion targeted for April 30, 2031. The grant funds research to advance spatially multiplexed imaging technology for visualizing complex cellular signaling networks in neurons and brain cells. Specifically, MIT researchers are developing and refining Signaling Reporter Islands (SIRIs)—a modular protein design platform utilizing self-assembling peptides fused to genetically encoded signal indicators that cluster at random, stable locations throughout living cells. This approach enables simultaneous imaging of multiple signaling cascades (including calcium, cyclic adenosine monophosphate, kinases, and other cellular messengers) within the same cell using standard microscopy equipment, eliminating the need for expensive specialized hardware.

The project builds upon foundational work published in Cell (2020) and aims to enhance capabilities for imaging cellular signal transduction in awake, behaving animals. By enabling live-cell imaging followed by post-mortem immunostaining to identify individual reporters, this technology platform provides neuroscience research groups with accessible tools to understand relationships between different intracellular signals and their roles in neuroplasticity, gene expression changes, and cellular outputs. The research directly supports NINDS's mission to reduce the burden of neurological disease through fundamental understanding of brain and nervous system structure and function.