# Molecular Tools to Illuminate Copper Transport and Homeostasis

> **NIH NIH R35** · GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2021 · $385,115

## Abstract

Abstract
Copper is an essential trace nutrient critical to human health. As a prominent cofactor in metalloproteins, it is
required to support many fundamental biological functions, including respiration, superoxide detoxification,
degradation of amines, and the mobilization and uptake of iron. Cellular copper levels are tightly controlled
through a complex network of membrane transporters, chaperone proteins, ligands, and transcription factors. If
placed in the wrong environment, copper has the ability to catalyze the production of hydroxyl radicals and
other reactive oxygen species, a common deleterious mechanism that has profound implications in neuro-
degenerative diseases (ALS and Alzheimer’s disease) and diseases associated with copper mistrafficking
(Menkes and Wilson’s disease). As the pathological conditions are often caused by the toxicity of mislocalized
copper rather than the failure to deliver copper to cuproenzymes, detailed knowledge of the copper interactions
within the cellular proteome is of fundamental importance. The goal of this grant application is to develop
molecular tools that will allow researchers to dissect and discover new copper trafficking pathways, both under
normal physiological conditions and their alterations in diseases associated with copper dyshomeostasis. In a
broader context, the proposed tools are expected to be of critical importance for the long-term development of
novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods to combat copper related human diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10135126
- **Project number:** 5R35GM136404-02
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOPH J FAHRNI
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $385,115
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10135126

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10135126, Molecular Tools to Illuminate Copper Transport and Homeostasis (5R35GM136404-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10135126. Licensed CC0.

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