Project Grant R21NS153280

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded Emory University $428,218 on September 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to develop subcellularly resolved spatial genomics approaches for studying axon regeneration.

The research maps the nerve regenerative landscape by building a three-dimensional spatial single-cell transcriptomics atlas of dorsal root ganglia in mice, training a morphology-based classifier of neuronal subtypes, and engineering a soma-axon-matched barcoding system to directly link transcriptional reprogramming at the cell body to local regenerative phenotypes at axonal injury sites. The work addresses key barriers in understanding why peripheral nervous system neurons regenerate more robustly than central nervous system neurons despite the challenges posed by the physical distance between injury sites and soma, and why functional recovery in patients remains incomplete.

Performance occurs at Emory University's Atlanta, Georgia location through August 31, 2028. The award is classified as a Project Grant under the R21 mechanism, supporting early-stage exploratory research that seeks fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system to reduce the burden of neurological disease.