Advanced tools to map metals and metabolites in cells and to edit DNA with DNAzymes and aptamers
Official title: Advancing Spatial Metallomics/Metabolomics, Genome Editing, and Biocatalysis by Designing and Selecting DNAzymes, Aptamers, and Biosynthetic Models
Funded at University of Texas at Austin · NIH-11331460 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project to create new DNA-based tools that map metals and metabolites inside living cells and tissues and to test a novel DNA-based approach for precise DNA editing.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas at Austin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Austin, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2021 |
| Project end | January 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $682,295 |
| NIH project number | 2R35GM141931-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11331460 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with diseases linked to metal ion imbalances or impaired genome editing who could benefit from future diagnostic imaging or therapeutic approaches.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals or conditions not related to metal biology or genome editing may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This grant aims to design DNAzymes and DNA aptamers that can image metal ions and metabolites with nanometer precision in living cells and mouse tissues. We will develop three-dimensional, ratiometric imaging methods and specialized probes (SNAIL probes) to map metal and metabolite patterns in real time. A second aim explores a non-CRISPR genome-editing strategy using peptide nucleic acids and engineered DNAzymes for targeted DNA cleavage under biological conditions. The work blends chemistry, molecular biology, and imaging to expand how we understand metal biology and genome editing in humans. If successful, these tools could enable new ways to study metal-related diseases and improve gene-editing approaches.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: New imaging tools could reveal how metal ions and metabolites are distributed in human tissues, potentially informing diagnosis and treatment of metal-related conditions and improving genome-editing strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous imaging and genome-editing tools show promise, but this project aims to integrate metal/metabolite mapping with DNA-based editing in living systems, which is a novel combination.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lu, Yi — University of Texas at Austin
- Study coordinator: Lu, Yi
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.