Project Grant R01NS148919

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute $670,380 on September 4, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to determine the stoichiometry of endogenous voltage-gated potassium channels in the brain.

The research addresses fundamental gaps in understanding how ion channels are assembled and regulated in neurons. The work will elucidate the composition and arrangement of voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel subunits in vivo under both physiological and pathological conditions, using a novel methodology developed by the principal investigator's laboratory. The research aims to identify how channel compositions are regulated by physiological stimuli or altered in disease states, and to determine whether disease-causing misassembled channels can be selectively targeted by therapeutics. The specific focus is on Kv1 family members, which control resting membrane potential and the firing pattern of action potentials in neurons.

Performance occurs in La Jolla, California, with a period of performance from September 4, 2026, through August 31, 2031. The assistance type is a Project Grant, an investigator-initiated award supporting basic research into the structure and function of the nervous system that aligns with NINDS's mission to reduce the burden of neurological disease.