Project Grant R35GM163531

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health, awarded the University of Washington $450,950 on August 5, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to characterize metastable thiolate intermediates in cysteinate-ligated metalloenzymes through small-molecule analogues and spectroscopic methods. The project will use electron paramagnetic resonance, Mössbauer, electronic absorption, X-ray absorption, and vibrational spectroscopies to trap and characterize key intermediates proposed in oxygen-promoted reactions catalyzed by iron, copper, and cobalt enzymes involved in tumor suppression, antibiotic biosynthesis, and pharmaceutical production. Low-temperature stopped-flow kinetics will examine intermediate formation mechanisms, and experimentally calibrated computational studies will clarify how electronic structures influence function and distinguish reactive intermediates from off-pathway side-reactions. The University of Washington Office of Sponsored Programs receives the award as the administrative gateway for the institution's federal research portfolio. Performance occurs in Seattle, Washington, with a completion date of April 30, 2031. This assistance type is a Project Grant.