Project Grant R03HD121842

This Project Grant, awarded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), funds investigator-initiated research examining the role of maternal MCM4 protein in early mammalian embryonic development. The University of Massachusetts received $157,427 in obligated funding for the project period from May 25, 2026 through April 30, 2028. The research deliverables include scientific investigations using live imaging, immunofluorescence microscopy, and RNA-sequencing analyses to characterize how maternal MCM4 (a core component of the MCM2-7 DNA replication helicase complex) governs zygotic DNA replication fidelity and mitotic progression during the oocyte-to-embryo transition.

The project will generate novel insights into maternal control mechanisms during early embryonic development and will produce scientific data and analysis addressing critical gaps in understanding cell cycle regulation, checkpoint control, and chromatin dynamics in replication-deficient conditions. Research outcomes may contribute to advancing understanding of developmental arrest, infertility, and early embryonic loss—areas of significant relevance to the NICHD's mission of improving reproductive health and enhancing outcomes across the lifespan. The work will be conducted at the University of Massachusetts facility in Hadley, Massachusetts.