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The Effects of Direct Current Stimulation in Adult Tissues

Award Number: R01GM132753
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/16/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2024

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The Effects of Direct Current Stimulation in Adult Tissues - Project Summary/Abstract The exogenous application of electric currents is an effective method widely used to treat a plethora of clinical conditions and to enhance mental skills including multitasking capability and numerical cognition in healthy humans. Despite the wide use of localized direct current stimulation (DCS) in experimental, clinical and public settings, the molecular bases of its effects in various cell types are unknown. We seek to gain fundamental knowledge about the effects and signals mediating DCS in adult tissues. Therefore, we focus on basic electrophysiology research using a model system based on planarian flatworms, which is amenable to study various DCS modalities and their effects on tissues at systemic and cellular levels. We plan to merge molecular genetics and electrophysiology to define instructive mechanisms underlying cellular responses to DCS. Planarians activate stem cells (SCs) called neoblasts to continually renew adult tissues and are capable of regenerating any part of their body upon injury. Our research team developed a novel strategy based on the external application of DCS of physiological strength to the whole planarian body. We provide compelling evidence that it is possible to use DCS similar to the one used in humans to control collective neoblast behavior in vivo (i.e. regulation of transcription, cell cycle, cell death, differentiation), and induce permanent changes in adult tissue identity without using genetic or pharmacological treatments. The integration of biophysical and genetic information may provide a paradigm shift in the way we approach SC regulation in the adult body and by executing this project we expect to uncover mechanistic insights about this process. A major impact of these studies will be the elucidation of basic mechanisms mediating DCS effects in the complexity of the whole organism to enable the implementation of biomedical approaches to induce selective tissue replacements and control cellular behavior to prevent or treat disease.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$148 )
2025	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95343	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	3/5/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$11,212
2025	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95343	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	4	3/7/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$11,212
2025	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95343	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	002	4	3/20/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$148
														Subtotal = -$148

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95343	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	2/23/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $307,432 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95344	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	3/29/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$276,688
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95343	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	4	7/27/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$30,744
														Subtotal = $307,432

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $307,432 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95344	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	3/31/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$307,432
														Subtotal = $307,432

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $307,432 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95344	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	2	4/14/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$307,432
														Subtotal = $307,432

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $307,432 )
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED	5200 N LAKE RD	MERCED	CA	95344	MERCED	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	5/16/2019	NEW	$307,432
														Subtotal = $307,432

Grand Total All Awards = $1,229,580

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The Effects of Direct Current Stimulation in Adult Tissues

Award Number: R01GM132753

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/16/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2024

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