# Molecular Tools to Illuminate Copper Transport and Homeostasis

> **NIH NIH R35** · GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2020 · $246,918

## 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 may catalyze the production of hydroxyl radicals and other reactive
oxygen species, a common deleterious mechanism that has profound implications in neurodegenerative
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 the parent 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 this
equipment supplement application, the acquisition of an integrated LC-ICP-MS system is requested for the
precise and rapid quantification of trace elements in a broad range of samples and specimens. The instrument
will address current shortcomings of elemental quantification by TXRF, which hampers quantitative robustness
and lacks high-throughput capabilities required for analyzing chromatographic separations. In a broader context,
the research project is 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:** 10154395
- **Project number:** 3R35GM136404-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOPH J FAHRNI
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $246,918
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10154395

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10154395, Molecular Tools to Illuminate Copper Transport and Homeostasis (3R35GM136404-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10154395. Licensed CC0.

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