Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded Dartmouth College a Project Grant totaling $408,750 under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective June 1, 2026, through January 31, 2031. The award supports fundamental research characterizing heme enzymes and cytochromes that function in electron-rich environments, with particular emphasis on understanding redox properties and conformational dynamics of bacterial proteins involved in electron transfer. The research focuses on mechanisms by which bacteria utilize oxygen as an electron acceptor in low-oxygen environments and process nitrite through multiple electron transfer pathways, with applications toward developing novel antibiotic therapies targeting microbial energy production systems.

The project delivers scientific research outputs including characterization of metalloproteins critical for microoxic function in Pseudomonas bacteria, elucidation of electron donor interactions and redox cooperativity mechanisms, and spectroscopic analysis of reaction intermediates during nitrite and nitrogen monoxide reduction. The five-year research initiative conducted at Dartmouth College's Hanover, New Hampshire facilities advances understanding of intra- and interprotein regulatory mechanisms in bacterial redox enzymes, with findings intended to inform design of new antimicrobial therapeutics by revealing molecular details that define enzyme reactivity under oxygen-limited conditions relevant to infection sites and biofilm environments.