Project Grant R50EY038796
- The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded The Salk Institute For Biological Studies $475,249 on August 10, 2026, through the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to develop photon-efficient spectral lifetime microscopy technology. The award funds development of optical technology for multiplexed fluorescence imaging that combines fluorescence lifetime and spectral imaging approaches to increase the dimensionality of fluorescent signals. The...
- The National Institutes of Health Office of the Director awarded The Salk Institute For Biological Studies $2.642 million on September 30, 2025, under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) to investigate temporal context mechanisms in long-term working memory by studying cortical traveling waves as a potential biological analog to transformer architectures in large language models. The research aims to discover how global dynamical activity in the cortex and medium-term synaptic...
- The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded The Salk Institute for Biological Studies $515,625 on June 12, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to investigate fundamental mechanisms of cytoskeletal dynamics and transport, with focus on how connector proteins link molecular motors to cellular cargo and facilitate transport along microtubule tracks. The research examines two primary areas: the role of spectraplakin proteins, which link...
- The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded The Salk Institute for Biological Studies $625,589 on July 10, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to investigate the molecular determinants that regulate cohesin-mediated loop extrusion and stability in vivo. The research examines how the cohesin complex and CTCF protein organize chromatin through loop extrusion—a process that has been observed in vitro and in preliminary cellular studies...
- The National Institute on Aging awarded The Salk Institute for Biological Studies $1.359 million on February 15, 2026, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) to characterize activity-dependent changes to neuronal populations in the spinal dorsal horn during aging and determine functional consequences for sensorimotor behaviors. The research selectively perturbs activity in different classes of cutaneous afferent neurons to identify inputs that support cell survival in adult mice,...
- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded Massachusetts Institute of Technology $651,069 on May 2, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to develop spatially multiplexed imaging techniques for visualizing complex signaling networks in neurons and brain cells. The research advances a method called Signaling Reporter Islands (SIRIs) that enables simultaneous imaging of multiple cellular signals...
- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded The Ohio State University $433,125 on May 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to develop and optimize a three-dimensional total internal reflection fluorescence structured illumination microscope (3D TIRF-SIM) for investigating synaptic vesicle exo-endocytosis coupling in living cells. The research addresses a critical gap in neuroscience by...
- Federal Project Grant Award Summary The Salk Institute for Biological Studies received a $1.2 million Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) awarded July 15, 2025, with a completion date of July 14, 2026. The award funds the acquisition and deployment of a Thermo Fisher Scientific Orbitrap IQ-X Tribrid mass spectrometer equipped with an Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography...
- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded The Salk Institute for Biological Studies $150,104 on February 1, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to develop methods for growing brain organoids with improved structural complexity, cellular diversity, and long-term viability. The project, titled "3D Printing Hydrogel Vasculature and Bioactive Cues Within Brain Organoids," addresses...
- The National Eye Institute awarded the Scripps Research Institute $506,000 on July 1, 2026, under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to map lacrimal gland ionocyte RNA and protein secretion in homeostasis and inflammation. The research isolates two distinct ionocyte subtypes—acinar and ductal—from healthy and diseased lacrimal gland tissue using transgenic mouse models, including a novel TSP1-knockout model of Sjögren's syndrome. Transcriptomic profiling of sorted ionocytes will...
The National Institutes of Health Office of the Director awarded The Salk Institute for Biological Studies $187,500 on August 1, 2026, under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) to develop computational models of retinal rod photoreceptor synapses and advance the MCell4/CellBlender simulation software suite. The recipient will create anatomically detailed Monte Carlo simulations integrating empirical findings on glutamate dynamics at rod synapses, addressing how postsynaptic rod bipolar cells distinguish synaptic noise from genuine single-photon signals. The work encompasses three aims: precisely determining glutamate release rates and patterns from rods using optical measurements and electrophysiological recordings in genetically engineered mouse models; examining the contributions of glutamate transporters (EAAT1, EAAT2, EAAT5) to regulating synaptic glutamate levels; and integrating empirical findings into simulation models to explore how release patterns and transporter roles influence glutamate levels and synaptic noise management. A research software engineer will lead computational software development and analytical components, bridging experimental and computational research. Performance runs from August 1, 2026, through May 31, 2029, at The Salk Institute's La Jolla, California facility. The award builds on collaboration with Professor Wally Thoreson at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, whose research program focuses on understanding glutamate dynamics at rod synapses critical for dim light vision.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $187.5k | 7/31/26 |