Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded a Project Grant of $433,125 to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, effective June 1, 2026, through January 31, 2031, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859). This award funds research on the spatiotemporal regulation of DNA metabolism pathways, specifically investigating how homologous recombination (HR) proteins are dynamically regulated to repair DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) while maintaining their distinct functions at other DNA structures such as stalled replication forks, centromeres, and telomeres. The research addresses a critical knowledge gap regarding how HR protein activity is selectively activated and deactivated, with particular focus on tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation as regulatory mechanisms.

The project deliverables include fundamental research findings that advance understanding of genomic stability mechanisms and the pathways underlying DNA damage repair processes. By elucidating the regulatory mechanisms that control HR protein function, this research aims to provide scientific insights relevant to preventing pathologies such as meiotic defects, infertility, developmental syndromes, and cancer that can result from defective homologous recombination. The research will be conducted at UTHSCSA's facilities in San Antonio, Texas, leveraging the institution's established expertise in biomedical research and its track record of successful NIH-funded investigations.