# Administrative Supplement: Functional Assessment of Variants in Organisms of Research (FAVOR) - Profiling Canonical Human Genes and their Variants through Disease Model Phenotyping.

> **NIH NIH R43** · NEMAMETRIX, INC. · 2021 · $124,932

## Abstract

Summary
This supplement funding request is relevant for the development of chemical medical countermeasures to
neurotoxin exposure. Specifically, we use a humanized animal model to provide greater relevance and
translation of drugs as antidotes to the neurotoxic effects of exposure to aldicarb, a pesticide which causes
potentially lethal buildup of acetylcholine (ACh) at the synapse. In the parent SBIR award, we are creating a
polygenic humanization of C. elegans wherein three human genes involved in vesicular release of ACh
(SNAP25, STXBP1 and STX1A) replace their orthologous loci (ric-4, unc-18 and unc-64) in a single transgenic
line. The resulting polygenic humanized animal will be used as a platform for functional categorization of
pathogenic genetic variants when patient-derived variants are installed. As a supplementary project, the
double-humanized hSTXBP1/hSTX1A humanized animals, which we have already created, and a
tiple-humanized hSNAP25/hSTXBP1/hSTX1A will be used as a platform for discovery of drugs that act as
antidotes to aldicarb neurotoxicity. The human proteins functionally replace the worm orthologs, restoring
regulated neurotransmitter release from the synapse. Treatment with aldicarb inhibits synaptic ACh esterase
(AChE) and leads to build up of ACh at cholinergic synapses. This paralytic effect of aldicarb is well
documented in prior C. elegans work. Yet, most common antidotes to aldicarb work via a diverse set of
mechanisms, which have not been well characterized in C. elegans. As a result, we focus on four distinct
mechanisms: (1) acting upstream to decrease presynaptic release of ACh (botulinum toxin A - "Botox", (2)
acting downstream to inhibit ACh receptors (atropine), (3) acting directly on the aldicarb-blocked AChE by
promoting enzyme reactivation (pralidoxime), and (4) reducing GABA transmission which alleviates convulsive
symptoms (diazepam). In this work to establish an aldicarb antidote discovery system, two aims are sought.
The first aim will be to establish aldicarb paralytic activity that can be easily detected in the humanized animal
models. The second aim will be to measure the antidote effects of four drugs (atropine, pralidoxime, diazepam
and Botox) on aldicarb-induced paralysis. Success of the project occurs when an assay protocol is found
capable of detecting the effects of an antidote in reducing aldicarb toxicity. In future work, this humanized
system can be used as a screening platform for aldicarb antidotes as well as a broad range of neurotoxic
agents that threaten human health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10228504
- **Project number:** 3R43HG010852-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** NEMAMETRIX, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Trisha Brock
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $124,932
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-12-10 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10228504

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10228504, Administrative Supplement: Functional Assessment of Variants in Organisms of Research (FAVOR) - Profiling Canonical Human Genes and their Variants through Disease Model Phenotyping. (3R43HG010852-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10228504. Licensed CC0.

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