Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded a Project Grant of $385,000 to The Leland Stanford Junior University, effective March 1, 2026, through December 31, 2030, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859). The award supports fundamental research to elucidate the physical and chemical principles governing three-dimensional (3D) genome folding in individual cells. The principal investigator will conduct systematic, large-scale genetic and chemical perturbation screens utilizing single-cell whole-genome 3D structure measurement and transcriptome analysis as phenotypic outcomes. Through integration of high-precision single-cell sequencing technologies and advanced computational algorithms, the research aims to establish a comprehensive rulebook of DNA folding mechanisms that control gene expression and determine normal cellular physiology and disease states.

The project addresses a significant technological gap in 3D genomics research by developing and implementing large-scale perturbative tools and datasets that have historically been unavailable. Rather than the current labor-intensive, one-protein-at-a-time approach to genome perturbation, this award funds the creation of systematic screening capabilities that will generate first-of-its-kind integrative data on genome-wide DNA organization. The five-year research program will leverage the principal investigator's previous pioneering work in solving the first single-cell 3D human genome structure to advance fundamental understanding of genome folding principles, with direct implications for both normal cellular function and disease biology.