Understanding how protein tweaks change disease-related structures
Official title: Rapid Assessment of Proteoform-Resolved Higher-Order Structures
Funded at University of Nevada Reno · NIH-11392330 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research team is developing new ways to look at how tiny chemical changes in proteins affect their 3D shapes, which can influence cancers, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nevada Reno NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Reno, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $359,248 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM151104-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392330 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancers, cardiovascular conditions, or degenerative neurologic disorders may benefit from advances in diagnosis and therapeutics stemming from this research.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit is not guaranteed in the short term; early-stage methodological development may not immediately change patient care.
What this research studies
Proteins fold into higher-order shapes that control how they work in the body. This project aims to map how post-translational modifications alter those shapes at the detailed proteoform level using advanced mass spectrometry. By focusing on precise structures rather than averages, the work could reveal disease-state signatures and guide the development of targeted therapies. The approach prioritizes sensitivity and low sample needs to enable deeper understanding of protein behavior in illness. Over five years, the team will create technologies to characterize these complex protein conformations more accurately.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could improve diagnosis and speed up the development of targeted treatments for cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and degenerative neurologic disorders.
How similar studies have gone: Previous mass spectrometry methods have advanced protein analysis, but this project aims to uniquely resolve proteoforms and their higher-order structures for disease relevance.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nevada Reno
Reno, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Borotto, Nicholas Brent — University of Nevada Reno
- Study coordinator: Borotto, Nicholas Brent
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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.