Project Grant R21DC023990

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded The University of Chicago $451,000 on August 24, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop a native biochemical preparation of the mechanotransduction complex (METC) from cnidarian nematocytes as a model of vertebrate hair-cell function. The award funds research into the structural dynamics and functional mechanisms of the METC, the cellular machinery responsible for converting sound waves and mechanical stimuli into electrical signals. The project applies genetic tools including CRISPR/CAS9 to establish knock-in lines in the cnidarian model organism Nematostella vectrensis, native-source biochemistry, proteomics, and cryo-electron microscopy structural approaches to determine the biochemical components of the cnidarian METC, which the recipient's prior work indicates is required for mechanical firing of nematocytes and shares evolutionary origins with vertebrate hair cells. The period of performance extends through July 31, 2028, with work performed at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. This is a Project Grant, the primary assistance type under NIDCD's research grants portfolio.