Understanding how cells divide and ensure chromosomes move correctly
Official title: Understanding Cell Division
Funded at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation · NIH-11336925 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study to uncover how cells carefully manage chromosome movement during division, which could help explain why errors occur in cancer and birth defects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oklahoma City, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2018 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $460,350 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM126980-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11336925 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with cancers or birth defects linked to cell division errors, whose biology could be studied through tissue samples or derived cell lines.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without conditions related to mitotic errors may not directly benefit from this basic biology research.
What this research studies
This project aims to map the key regulators that control spindle dynamics and chromosome movement during mitosis using advanced imaging and bioinformatics. Researchers will combine in vivo and in vitro analyses to test the roles of known and newly identified mitotic regulators in prometaphase, metaphase, and anaphase. The work includes cutting-edge techniques like high-resolution, low-toxicity light sheet microscopy and degron tagging to observe proteins in action as cells divide. The ultimate goal is to build a clearer picture of how cell cycle progression is coordinated with chromosome motion in vertebrate cells.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could improve our understanding of why cell division goes wrong in cancers and birth defects, potentially guiding future therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have identified mitotic regulators, and this project advances the understanding with new imaging and bioinformatics approaches.
Where this research is happening
-
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Oklahoma City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gorbsky, Gary J. — Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
- Study coordinator: Gorbsky, Gary J.
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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.