Project Grant R35GM165628

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded $421,250 to H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Hospital, Inc. on September 1, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to support research on regulation of selenium metabolism and selenoprotein synthesis.

The project will investigate how distinct dietary forms of selenium are absorbed and distributed in the body, how tissues prioritize selenium use under limiting conditions, and how the hierarchy of selenoprotein synthesis is dynamically regulated during oxidative stress. The research addresses fundamental questions about selenium metabolism relevant to cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune conditions. The work integrates in vivo and functional genomic approaches using animal models combined with advanced elemental analysis techniques including inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, along with interstitial fluid profiling to define how dietary selenium influences tissue-level selenium preservation and selenoprotein function.

The award runs through May 31, 2031, with performance at Moffitt's Tampa, Florida location. This is a Project Grant, a category of investigator-initiated research support from NIGMS focused on basic research that advances understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.