Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded a $2.66 million Project Grant to The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco on February 15, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853). The award supports a five-year research initiative extending through January 31, 2031, focused on discovering and validating delivery vectors for gene therapies and biologics targeting central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The primary deliverable is the development and implementation of an ethics-informed discovery platform utilizing physiologically maintained deceased human cadavers to assess delivery vector efficacy in human tissue, thereby reducing reliance on traditional preclinical animal models and increasing the likelihood of successful clinical translation.

The research project aims to revolutionize vector discovery by providing early-stage human efficacy data that conventional cellular and animal models cannot reliably predict. The platform will serve as a blueprint for safe, ethical, and equitable use of human donor tissues in discovery research while identifying the most effective vectors for gene and biologic therapies applicable to millions of patients with CNS indications. This project directly aligns with NINDS's mission to advance fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system while reducing the burden of neurological disease through innovative therapeutic development approaches.