Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of California, Davis received a $435,405 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective May 11, 2026, with completion scheduled for January 31, 2031. This Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) R35 supports a five-year research program investigating the causes and consequences of genome instability and chromosome rearrangements resulting from DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The research focuses on how two common DNA secondary structures—R loops and G quadruplexes—impact DSB formation, repair pathway selection, and chromosome rearrangement formation in primary, immortalized, and transformed cells.

The deliverables include fundamental scientific discoveries regarding molecular and genetic factors that predispose specific genomic loci to instability, as well as functional dissection of DNA repair pathways at endogenous genomic sites. The laboratory will employ novel methodologies developed to measure successful DNA repair in primary and immortalized cells and identify transcription-associated replication stress sites. Research outcomes are intended to advance understanding of how DSBs drive genome instability and inform therapeutic strategies targeting DNA repair pathway deficiencies. This work builds on the investigator's prior NIGMS R01GM134537 funding and represents a continuation of focus on understanding r loop metabolism's contribution to DSB repair and aberrant chromosome rearrangement formation in immune and other cell types.