Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of South Florida received a $474,102 Project Grant award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective June 1, 2026, through February 28, 2031. The award supports fundamental research into the synthetic biology and genome engineering of natural product chemotypes with promising bioactivity profiles. The project involves a comprehensive investigation of polyketide biosynthetic pathways and the development of new natural product analogs through chemical synthesis to enhance drug-like properties while minimizing toxicity and off-target effects.

The research initiative focuses on advancing natural products discovery by sourcing understudied biodiversity from remote ecosystems, particularly marine invertebrates from Antarctica and the deep-sea environments. Key deliverables include identification and characterization of novel metabolites from these organisms, diversification of natural products through analog synthesis, and subsequent evaluation of compounds with promising bioactivity profiles for drug development potential. This effort addresses critical challenges in natural products research, including ensuring reliable compound supply, reducing re-isolation of known chemotypes, and producing biomedically useful small molecules with improved clinical applicability.