Project Grant R35GM161889

Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The Leland Stanford Junior University received a $494,796 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective March 1, 2026 through December 31, 2030. This award funds fundamental research investigating myosin structure and function, with particular emphasis on how hereditary mutations in cardiac myosin contribute to familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)—a disease affecting approximately 1 in 500 people that can lead to heart failure and sudden cardiac death. The research will examine how HCM-causing mutations in human cardiac myosin disrupt intramolecular interactions that stabilize the myosin motor's off state, thereby increasing the number of functionally accessible myosin heads and contributing to pathological cardiac hypercontractility.

The project delivers advanced biomedical research outputs designed to enhance understanding of myosin molecular motor dysfunction and establish a foundation for developing more targeted therapeutic interventions beyond current symptomatic treatments such as heart muscle reduction surgery, defibrillator placement, and transplantation. Research conducted at Stanford's California facility will characterize biochemical and biomechanical parameters of mutant cardiac myosin across different regions, contributing to the NIGMS mission of supporting basic research that advances disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention capabilities.