Platform for Analyzing Mutations Linked to Schizophrenia (PAMS)
Official title: Platform for Analyzing the Mutations associated with Schizophrenia (PAMS)
Funded at Howard University · NIH-11392519 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A computational tool built to study rare genetic mutations in schizophrenia and predict how they affect proteins and their interactions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Howard University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $137,060 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM159167-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392519 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include individuals with schizophrenia or those who carry identified risk mutations or participate in related genomic studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to genomic data or those not affected by schizophrenia may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project will create PAMS, a user-friendly platform that combines structure-based energy calculations with gene- and sequence-based machine learning to study mutations associated with schizophrenia. Using AlphaFold structures and computational mutagenesis, it will estimate how missense mutations change protein stability and how they alter interactions with partner proteins. The tool will integrate data from a meta-analysis of 921 genes to provide a broad view of potential mutation effects. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments will help validate predicted changes in protein binding.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from faster insights into how specific mutations might contribute to schizophrenia and related targets for future therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that structure-based and sequence-based predictions can forecast mutation impacts, suggesting potential for accurate predictions in this area.
Where this research is happening
-
Howard University
Washington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Teng, Shaolei — Howard University
- Study coordinator: Teng, Shaolei
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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.