This federal Project Grant award of $253,500.00 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), aims to resolve the relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and the impact of non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-related risk genes on neuronal structure and function. The key products or services to be delivered through this grant include: (1) establishing "two-hit" human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines presenting with impaired neuronal bioenergetics caused by mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy and deficiency in ASD-relevant risk genes (PPP2R5D, SHANK3, or GRIN2B); (2) imaging these "two-hit" hiPSC-derived neurons and 3D brain organoids to reconstruct neurons and neuronal networks, quantify soma size and dendritic morphology, and assess synapse number; and (3) delineating neuronal network-level phenotypes when expressing disease-associated ASD risk variants in neurons with suboptimal mitochondrial function. The award period is from April 10, 2025 to March 31, 2027.
Mod # | Description | Reason For Modification | Federal Obligation (Click to sort descending) | Date (Click to sort ascending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $253.5k | 4/10/25 |