Federal Project Grant Award Summary

New York University received a $421,737 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective March 10, 2026, with a completion date of February 28, 2031. The grant supports the development of data-driven, predictive biophysical models that characterize molecular mechanisms underlying cellular quiescence in microorganisms. The research will integrate experimental data to establish quantitative relations between physiological traits and molecular processes in non-growing cellular states, building upon the institution's previous work on growth-limiting molecular processes in exponentially growing organisms.

Over the five-year funding period, the project will deliver research focusing on three primary areas: regulation of protein synthesis and ribosome abundance during quiescence, the influence of pH on critical metabolic reactions, and the effects of protein composition on bacterial spore germination rates and population growth dynamics. These biophysical models are intended to provide a new quantitative framework for understanding non-growing microbial states, comparable to established growth laws for exponentially growing cells. The research addresses a fundamental knowledge gap in microbiology, as quantitative relations for quiescent states remain substantially underdeveloped relative to exponential growth phase characterization.