Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded Stony Brook University $454,937 under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) on February 15, 2026, for a project period extending through January 31, 2028. This Project Grant supports research investigating the regulatory landscape of neurodegeneration through single-cell spatial multiomics analysis in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The research addresses critical knowledge gaps regarding how cells near AD pathological hallmarks—including amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau—regulate themselves and respond to their microenvironment, with particular focus on understanding the complex interactions between neurodegeneration, glial cell-mediated inflammation, and chromatin accessibility as a dynamic regulator of transcription.

The core deliverables involve integrating two previously unconnected layers of cellular regulatory machinery: epigenetic regulation (chromatin accessibility and transcription factor activity) and protein-level signaling transduction. By combining single-cell resolution with spatial proteomics capabilities, the research team will generate comprehensive multiomics datasets that characterize cell identity, signaling networks, transcriptional regulation, and functional cellular processes across heterogeneous brain tissue. This technological integration addresses a significant limitation in current omics tools, which typically lack either spatial information or adequate protein detection sensitivity, and will advance understanding of neurodegeneration mechanisms relevant to AD—the most common form of dementia in the United States.