Understanding how protein entropy affects how proteins fold, work, and stay healthy
Official title: Decoding the role of entropy in protein structural stability, dynamics, and function in health and disease
Funded at Texas A&m Agrilife Research · NIH-11523503 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to explore how the hidden energy of proteins influences their shape, movements, and roles in health and disease using advanced tools to study proteins.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas A&m Agrilife Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $53,910 |
| NIH project number | 3R35GM158127-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11523503 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with conditions where protein misregulation plays a role, such as disorders involving signaling or enzymatic dysfunction, though the research is fundamental and not a patient treatment trial.
✕Less likely to help
The grant does not involve direct patient treatment or enrollment at this stage; benefits would come from future translational applications.
What this research studies
Proteins rely on tiny energy changes to hold their shapes and drive functions. This project uses specialized NMR methods to map conformational entropy and links it to how proteins recognize partners, regulate activity, and catalyze reactions. By focusing on allosteric regulation, membrane protein stability, and catalytic steps, the work seeks to connect thermodynamics with real biological outcomes. The insights could point to ways to intervene when protein behavior goes awry in disease. This is a long-term, mechanism-focused effort that builds on existing tools to illuminate fundamental protein science in human health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide new ways to modulate protein function in diseases by targeting entropy-related mechanisms.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has begun to reveal how protein entropy influences recognition and function, with early evidence supporting this approach but much remains unknown.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas A&m Agrilife Research
College Station, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wand, a. Joshua — Texas A&m Agrilife Research
- Study coordinator: Wand, a. Joshua
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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.