Federal Grant Award Summary

Northwestern University's Sponsored Research Division received a $634,938 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), effective June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2031. The award supports fundamental and translational research investigating RNA editing dysregulation in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's Disease (PD), focusing on how adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing contributes to pathogenic protein aggregation and neurodegeneration.

The research deliverables include three primary aims: (1) determining how A-to-I editing influences subcellular RNA location and identifying specific messenger RNAs sequestered within pathogenic nuclear inclusions composed of RNA binding proteins NONO and SFPQ; (2) assessing connections between mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi trafficking dysfunction in disease pathogenesis; and (3) validating findings in postmortem brain tissue from DLB patients. The research utilizes induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical and midbrain neurons to model disease phenotypes at early and late stages, with the objective of advancing understanding of proteostasis failure mechanisms and identifying potential therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative disease.