# Developing and democratizing technologies to study 3D genome organization

> **NIH GM R35** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2026 · $470,386

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Each human nucleus contains two meters of DNA that is packaged into an organelle a mere ~10 µm diameter.
Despite this dramatic difference in scale, the three-dimensional organization of the genome is non-random
and plays a critical functional role in health and disease. My research group is focused on the building robust
and scalable methods to study the organization of chromosomes in 3D space, the interactions they
participate in with at the inter- and intra-chromosomal level, and the associated RNAs and proteins that
occupy functionally relevant sites. The motivation for this work is to better understand the mechanisms by the
organization and composition of genomic intervals relevant for health and disease faithfully conduct the
essential DNA transactions of transcription, replication, and repair. Our previous studies focused on the
development of multiplexed fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) methods to map chromosome structure in
individual cells and the creation of biochemical screening methods to identify the molecular factors present at
the anchor sites for 3D chromosome loops. To this end, we have introduced new multiplexed FISH
technologies and adapted these to facilitate proximity labeling and affinity purification of factors from target
genomic intervals and chromatin associated RNAs. We now propose to build on these efforts by further
developing FISH technologies to support a broader range of questions relevant to chromosome biology and
making efforts to speed the adoption of advanced FISH technologies, by extending our proximity labeling
approach to more challenging genomic targets important for the regulation of gene expression, and by
investigating the position and composition of highly repetitive DNA sequences, which we hypothesize play an
integral role in maintaining the structure and stability of the genome. Collectively, the studies proposed here
will produce enabling new genomic technologies, produce rich datasets that detai

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11358285
- **Project number:** 5R35GM137916-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian Joseph Beliveau
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** GM
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $470,386
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01T00:00:00 → 2030-04-30T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11358285

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11358285, Developing and democratizing technologies to study 3D genome organization (5R35GM137916-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11358285. Licensed CC0.

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