Federal Grant Award Summary

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) received a $429,000 Project Grant 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 funds development and optimization of POPPI (PGA-Dependent OPP Incorporation), an innovative chemical-genetic method for rapid, cell-type-specific labeling of newly synthesized proteins in nervous system tissues. The method combines a caged puromycin analog (PHAC-OPP) with ectopic expression of penicillin G acylase (PGA) to enable precise protein synthesis labeling in targeted cell populations, with preliminary validation achieved in mouse primary neurons and Drosophila brain explants.

The research deliverables include quantitative profiling of nascent proteomes in complex tissue cell populations in vivo using a PGA transgenic Drosophila model. This approach leverages the extensive array of genetic drivers available in Drosophila to achieve cell-type-specific expression in the central nervous system while enabling rapid scalability for profiling of rare cell populations. By advancing translational proteomics methodology, the project aims to address a significant gap in neuroscience research tools, as existing methods for assessing cell-type-specific transcriptomes have outpaced the availability of comparable proteome interrogation techniques.