Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Case Western Reserve University's Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics received $1,557,366 in Project Grant funding from the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director under the Research Infrastructure Programs (CFDA 93.351) to acquire and operate an Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer with ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography capabilities. The award, issued June 15, 2026, with a completion date of June 14, 2027, will establish this instrument as a shared proteomics resource supporting the university's Proteomics and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Core facility, which has served as a centralized research asset since 2006.

The Orbitrap Astral system will advance structural and quantitative proteomics research across 17 major and minor users spanning 16 principal investigators managing over $30 million in annual direct funding from National Institutes of Health grants across eight separate institutes and centers. The instrument will support investigations spanning critical disease areas including HIV pathogenesis, cardioprotective signaling mechanisms, insulin resistance, cancer epigenomics, cystic fibrosis biomarker identification, and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's pathology. The Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics will manage operations using established protocols and demonstrate institutional stewardship through experienced personnel and existing infrastructure management systems.