Federal Grant Award Summary

Brown University received a $408,585 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), effective June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2028. The award supports research to identify conserved cellular mechanisms involved in Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC), a rare neurological disorder caused by dominant mutations in the ATP1A3 gene, which encodes a sodium/potassium-ATPase pump critical to maintaining excitable cell function.

The research will deliver three primary scientific products: (1) identification of conserved suppressor genes using newly developed C. elegans (roundworm) AHC disease models and functional genetic approaches; (2) assessment of which cellular mechanisms are relevant to AHC pathophysiology; and (3) results from a genetic screen identifying genes whose perturbation suppresses defects in the C. elegans AHC model. These research activities are designed to increase understanding of how common AHC patient alleles disrupt cellular function and to rapidly identify genes and molecular pathways suitable for therapeutic targeting, advancing translational knowledge toward treatment development for this severe pediatric neurological condition.