Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas at Arlington received a $412,433 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective March 1, 2026, through January 31, 2031. The award funds fundamental research investigating bacterial stress response mechanisms mediated by cyclic di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP), a second messenger produced by over 11,000 bacterial and archaeal species. The research aims to elucidate how bacteria translate external environmental stimuli—including antimicrobial stress, nutrient limitation, and osmotic pressure—into c-di-AMP metabolism and how resulting changes in c-di-AMP concentration regulate bacterial physiology to alleviate cellular stress.

The project focuses specifically on understanding how early and late DNA damage signals, including DNA supercoil relaxation and DNA breaks, regulate c-di-AMP metabolism and subsequently influence nucleotide synthesis and salvage pathways to facilitate DNA repair and inhibit programmed cell death. By uncovering novel DNA integrity surveillance mechanisms in bacteria, the research is expected to advance understanding of fundamental bacterial stress responses and inform development of new antimicrobial therapeutic targets. Research activities are conducted at UTA's Arlington, Texas facility, leveraging the institution's established research infrastructure and expertise in biomedical research areas.