Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a $432,135 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) effective May 15, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2031. This award supports fundamental research investigating the molecular mechanisms of myosin-X (MYO10) and filopodial function, with the primary deliverable being scientific knowledge and discoveries regarding how this molecular motor protein promotes filopodia formation and influences critical cellular processes including brain development, blood vessel formation, and cancer cell invasion.

The research initiative will produce multiple scientific outputs, including identification of MYO10's molecular cargo and characterization of headless MYO10 variants expressed in brain and stem cells. A significant technical deliverable involves the purification and comprehensive proteomic analysis of filopodia using modern proteomics approaches to catalog the complete molecular components of the filopodial cytoskeleton, tip, and plasma membrane. Additionally, the project will generate organismal-level functional data examining MYO10's roles in epithelial tissues, particularly in kidney and eye tissues where the protein localizes and knockout models demonstrate developmental defects. The research outcomes will advance fundamental understanding of cell biology mechanisms and filopodial function while contributing to knowledge with potential implications for cancer biology and developmental processes.