Iron enzymes that change sulfur in biological molecules
Official title: Synthetic and Spectroscopic Investigations of Sulfur Oxidation Reactions by Nonheme Iron Enzymes
Funded at Marquette University · NIH-11125529 · Data updated 2026-11-12
The team will make and study small chemical models of iron-containing enzymes to learn how they change sulfur in molecules that affect health, which could help people with conditions like ethylmalonic encephalopathy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R15 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Marquette University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2017 |
| Project end | September 2, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $564,204 |
| NIH project number | 2R15GM126522-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11125529 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research does not enroll patients now but is most relevant to people with disorders of sulfur metabolism, such as ethylmalonic encephalopathy, or those interested in therapies targeting these pathways.
✕Less likely to help
People with medical conditions unrelated to sulfur metabolism or mitochondrial sulfur-handling enzymes are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this laboratory-focused work.
What this research studies
This project creates lab-sized models of iron-based enzymes that modify sulfur-containing molecules so scientists can observe their chemistry directly. The work focuses on three enzyme types involved in making and breaking sulfur compounds in microbes and human cells, including ETHE1, a mitochondrial enzyme linked to ethylmalonic encephalopathy. Researchers will use chemical synthesis and spectroscopic methods to produce and monitor reactive intermediates formed when oxygen reacts with these models. By revealing the molecular steps of sulfur oxidation, the team hopes to clarify how defects in these enzymes lead to disease and suggest directions for future therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could clarify how enzyme defects harm sulfur metabolism and guide future approaches to treat disorders like ethylmalonic encephalopathy or inform drug/natural product design.
How similar studies have gone: Related chemical and spectroscopic model studies have previously clarified mechanisms for other nonheme iron enzymes, but these particular sulfur-oxidation enzymes remain an active and only partially understood research area.
Where this research is happening
-
Marquette University
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fiedler, Adam T — Marquette University
- Study coordinator: Fiedler, Adam T
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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.