Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Harvard College received a $508,111 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective May 1, 2026 through February 28, 2031. This award supports fundamental research investigating the molecular basis and selectivity of signaling and transport mechanisms across lipid membranes, with emphasis on bacterial membrane protein systems containing common transporter folds that have evolved to perform specialized functions. The research deliverables include structural characterization studies using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, functional assays conducted both in vitro and in cellular environments, and computational analyses employing all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and bioinformatic approaches.

The research program focuses on three primary bacterial membrane protein systems: NRAMP transporters (metal ion transporters from the LeuT-fold superfamily), Type II prodrug-activating peptidases, and related systems. Key deliverables include large-scale mutational screens designed to identify determinants of metal ion selectivity and substrate specificity, comprehensive datasets enhancing structure-function relationship understanding, and computational modeling of protein dynamics and evolutionary patterns. This five-year initiative advances fundamental knowledge of biological transport mechanisms with implications for drug target identification and understanding cellular responses to environmental stressors, contributing to NIGMS's mission of supporting basic research that establishes foundations for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.