Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded a $420,520 Project Grant to the Regents of the University of California at Riverside, effective July 1, 2026 through March 31, 2031, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859). This award funds a five-year research initiative focused on mechanistic studies of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing through integrated molecular simulations and artificial intelligence-driven approaches. The research program combines physics-based computational methods—including free energy simulations, quantum mechanical calculations, cryo-electron microscopy data processing, and graph theory models—with emerging AI technologies such as deep learning-enhanced sampling, graph neural networks, and causality inference approaches to advance understanding of CRISPR-Cas9 conformational dynamics, catalytic mechanisms, and target specificity.

The deliverables encompass novel mechanistic characterization of CRISPR-Cas9 conformational rearrangements, structural-functional relationship determination in prime editors, and molecular explanations of how engineered variants achieve enhanced specificity. These research outputs are intended to support broader therapeutic applications by enhancing the precision and efficiency of gene editing technologies for clinical use. The project builds on the principal investigator's established expertise in computational gene editing research and aims to provide paradigm-shifting insights by fully integrating molecular simulations with deep learning methodologies to address emerging biophysics questions in gene editing systems.