How cells move packages inside with tiny motor proteins
Official title: Mechanisms of vesicle trafficking and kinesin regulation
Funded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · NIH-11334296 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher team is studying how membrane proteins are correctly shipped inside nerve cells using motor proteins, with the goal of understanding and guiding this process.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Troy, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $399,830 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM153259-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11334296 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; the study uses neuronal cells and cell biology approaches.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit may not occur in the short term, as this is a basic science project in cell biology.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how vesicles carrying membrane proteins are selected and moved to their proper locations inside neurons, using live-cell imaging and new tools they developed. They will focus on a specific motor protein, KIF13A, to uncover how it is recruited to vesicles and how its activity is controlled in real time. The work also aims to link cargo sorting with motor recruitment and to understand how polarized cargoes are sorted at the trans-Golgi network. Additionally, they will create new molecular tools that could help study these processes in neurons and potentially beyond. The project combines primary hippocampal neuron cultures with advanced imaging to answer these questions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Insights into how nerve cells organize their internal transport could inform future treatments for neurological disorders where trafficking is disrupted.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has advanced understanding of vesicle transport, and this project builds on that with new tools and specific mechanistic questions.
Where this research is happening
-
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bentley, Marvin — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Study coordinator: Bentley, Marvin
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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.