Project Grant R35GM161607

The Trustees of Indiana University received a $415,822 Project Grant award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective February 15, 2026, through January 31, 2031. The Fernandez Lab will conduct fundamental research investigating the development and connectivity of circadian clock neuron networks, with particular emphasis on understanding how clock genes establish neuronal connections during development to form synchronized networks that drive behavioral rhythmicity. The research utilizes Drosophila as a model organism to examine the developmental roles of the clock genes cycle and clock in shaping connectivity patterns of the main circadian pacemaker neurons and other early-born clock neurons.

The project will advance scientific understanding of how circadian clock neurons establish their morphology and connectivity patterns during development, beyond their established functions in molecular timekeeping mechanisms. Research activities include examining gene expression pathways influenced by developmental downregulation of cycle and clock genes, and assessing impacts on early-developmental neuronal morphology and connectivity. This research contributes to the NIGMS mission of supporting basic biomedical research that increases understanding of fundamental biological processes and provides the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.