Award
NIH Reporter #2R01GM106159-09
Structural Dynamics and Mechanochemical Coupling in Nucleoprotein Machines
Recipient
Stanford University, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Award Amount
$423,229.00
Ceiling
$423,229.00
Awarded
July 14, 2026
Identifier
2R01GM106159-09
The award funds research at Stanford University to study the mechanisms of nucleoprotein machines involved in gene editing and antibacterial drug targets using advanced single-molecule biophysical methods.
Description
This project uses biophysical measurements to determine the mechanisms of molecular machines that are used in gene editing applications or are targets of antibacterial drugs. Using newly developed single-molecule approaches, CRISPR-Cas9 and related enzymes will be observed in real time as they unwind DNA, search for matches with a guide RNA molecule, and selectively cleave their DNA substrate. The same approaches will be applied to determine how DNA gyrase enzymes from pathogenetic bacteria harness ATP hydrolysis to wind up the genome.