Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. received a $390,000 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2031. This award supports a five-year research initiative titled "Metabolic Regulation of Immunity in C. elegans," which investigates how purine nucleotide metabolism regulates intestinal epithelial defense pathways in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The research will employ genetic and biochemical experiments to elucidate the mechanisms by which cellular metabolites control intracellular pathogen response pathways, including a type I interferon-like defense program comparable to systems relevant to human health.

The project deliverables include development of visualization tools to assess purine nucleotide metabolic flux in intestinal tissue, characterization of how purine metabolites regulate transcription of genes involved in pathogen defense, and investigation of how post-translational modification of defense proteins with uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) affects RNA interference protein function. The research outcomes are anticipated to advance fundamental understanding of epithelial defense mechanisms and provide insights applicable to human disorders resulting from dysregulation of purine metabolism and post-translational modifications, including immunodeficiency, cancer, diabetes, autoimmunity, and neurodegenerative disease.