Federal Grant Award Summary

Brown University received a $583,770 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), awarded July 15, 2026, with completion targeted for April 30, 2031. The award funds investigator-initiated basic research examining fundamental mechanisms of translational control and gene expression regulation. The research program focuses on elucidating how cells regulate protein synthesis efficiency, stability, and fidelity through interactions between ribosomes, messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, and nascent polypeptide chains, as well as the role of RNA-binding proteins and ribonucleoprotein complexes (including microRNA-induced silencing complex [miRISC]) in these regulatory processes.

The funded research builds on the principal investigator's established foundation in microRNA-mediated gene silencing, mRNA deadenylation, and ribosomal frameshifting mechanisms. Over the five-year award period, the project will pursue three distinct research avenues investigating how miRISC affects translation initiation, exploring the mechanisms governing ribosomal interactions with adenosine-rich mRNA sequences and nascent polypeptides, and examining AU-rich element-binding proteins in translational control. This basic research contributes to NIGMS's mission of advancing understanding of biological processes underlying human health and disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention by clarifying fundamental cellular mechanisms governing protein synthesis across multiple organisms.