How the body's daily clock controls cell proteins after genes are read
Official title: Investigating Circadian Post-Transcriptional Regulation.
Funded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · NIH-11146598 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are finding out how the body's daily clock changes how cells make and manage proteins, which may affect people with cancer or immune conditions.
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 | August 15, 2018 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $423,398 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM128687-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11146598 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be people with cancer or immune-related conditions who can provide blood or tissue samples or take part in timing-focused sample collections.
✕Less likely to help
People without cancer or immune conditions, or those seeking immediate changes to their medical care, are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this basic laboratory-focused research.
What this research studies
This project looks at how the circadian clock controls proteins after the initial gene message (mRNA) is made. Scientists will use cell and molecular experiments, biophysical methods, and analysis of biological samples to identify pathways that time immune-related protein production. The team will study specific clock protein complexes and how their physical properties influence formation of larger molecular machines that set protein levels. The goal is to connect these molecular mechanisms to immune and metabolic processes relevant to cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help time treatments better and point to new therapies that target clock-controlled protein processes to improve cancer and immune outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown links between circadian clocks and gene expression or treatment timing, but using post-transcriptional and biophysical mechanisms to explain those links is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hurley, Jennifer Marie — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Study coordinator: Hurley, Jennifer Marie
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
ApoE and Reelin interactions in Alzheimer’s disease
A researcher is studying how the ApoE ε4 protein interacts with Reelin in the brains of people at risk for or living with Alzheimer’s disease to understand why some people develop the disease.
-
Understanding how cell doors work at the tiniest scales to protect blood vessels
Researchers are studying how tiny cell connections in blood vessels are controlled by chirality using engineered platforms, with a focus on protecting vascular health in acute lung injury and similar conditions.
-
Circadian Control of Immune Timing in Human Health
A scientifically focused project aims to understand how the body’s daily clock influences immune responses and metabolism at the cellular level.
-
Biomimetic coatings to improve cell interfaces and deliver bioactive payloads
A research project to create self-assembled, biocompatible coatings that mimic natural cell signaling and control how surfaces interact with cells and proteins, with potential to improve diagnostics, prevention, and treatment of diseases.
-
AI-enhanced 3D imaging to track drug-target engagement in breast cancer
This NIH grant funds a patient-centered imaging approach to watch how a cancer drug interacts with tumors over time using advanced AI-assisted 3D imaging.
-
Respiration and energy use in Bacteroides bacteria
Scientists will study how the gut bacterium Bacteroides uses energy, including its respiratory pathways, to understand how it grows in the gut and interacts with the host.
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.