Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded $451,000 to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on August 1, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to support fundamental research on ion channel regulation by auxiliary proteins. This project, scheduled for completion by March 31, 2031, applies an integrative research strategy combining quantitative proteomics, electrophysiology, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and genetic manipulation to identify and characterize novel auxiliary subunits that modulate ion channel activity. The research focuses on three ion channel systems: LRRC8 volume-regulated anion channels, two-pore channels (TPCs), and BK channels, with the goal of elucidating the structural and molecular mechanisms underlying channel regulation at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels.

The project will deliver scientific advances in understanding how auxiliary proteins modulate native ion channel function and will conduct drug library screening to identify clinically relevant compounds. This research addresses a significant gap in ion channel biology, as auxiliary subunits remain unidentified or poorly understood for most of the over 300 principal ion channel subunits cataloged in the human proteome. The findings have potential therapeutic innovation applications across multiple physiological systems dependent on electrical and ion signaling.