Metal-binding proteins and smart materials
Official title: Metalloproteins: evolution, catalysis and material design
Funded at Baylor University · NIH-11184235 · Data updated 2026-11-12
They are making metal-binding proteins and self-healing hydrogels that could help detoxify harmful chemicals and lead to new treatments for people with osteoarthritis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Waco, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $350,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM155013-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11184235 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with osteoarthritis who are interested in novel biomaterial-based therapies and willing to join future clinical studies would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without joint degeneration or those seeking immediate clinical relief are unlikely to benefit directly from this early-stage laboratory research.
What this research studies
The team uses NMR-guided directed evolution and other protein dynamics probes to design metal-binding proteins with much higher catalytic activity and metal affinity. They plan to create small, biocompatible protein catalysts for reactions such as DNA hydrolysis and phenol oxidation that could be used in environmental cleanup. In a separate project they are designing stimuli-responsive, antimicrobial, self-healing hydrogels aimed at treating osteoarthritis and studying how metallopeptide assemblies form. Most work is lab-based now, intended to produce materials that could move toward applied testing and future clinical trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could yield low-cost protein catalysts for detoxification and a new hydrogel therapy that helps protect and repair osteoarthritic joints.
How similar studies have gone: Protein engineering and directed evolution have produced improved enzymes in other labs, but applying NMR-guided dynamics to predict productive mutations and combining that work with hydrogel therapeutics is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor University
Waco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Makhlynets, Olga — Baylor University
- Study coordinator: Makhlynets, Olga
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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.