Tuesday, November 4, 2025 11/4/2025

Systems for Dramatically Improved Synthetic RNA

Award Number: R01GM134042
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: 04/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2025

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Systems for Dramatically Improved Synthetic RNA - Project Summary A wide variety of RNA researchers synthesize their RNA using the enzyme T7 RNA polymerase, as this enzyme is robust and can yield large quantities of RNA, at any length scale. However, undesired products typically contaminate the desired RNA, in often unpredictable ways. This is perhaps most impactful currently in the mRNA therapeutics field, where contaminating double stranded RNAs can trigger a potentially lethal innate immune response, but contaminants almost certainly impact other studies as well, from basic research in cell and molecular biology and biochemistry/biophysics, to synthetic biology, to RNA nanotechnology. Gel purifications are tedious, low yield, and imperfect (indeed, the darkest band on the gel may not be the correct product, and even the correct length RNA pool can be heterogeneous!). Longer RNA impurities derive from correct RNA, reducing yields at synthesis, and can be distributed across a wide range of lengths, making gel analysis problematic. Building on new mechanistic understandings, this project will develop systems that limit the conditions that give rise to these impurities, specifically by inhibiting the off-pathway reactions, and will develop simple affinity purification approaches – all with an aim towards achieving monodisperse RNAs of defined length and sequence. Sensitive analytical and functional assays for success will be developed and applied to guide design. Tools will be developed with an eye towards broad adoption by a variety of researchers.


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 = $0 )
2025	2023	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	101 COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	4/11/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $306,263 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	1/19/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$275,637
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	4	2/16/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$30,626
														Subtotal = $306,263

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $306,526 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	1/27/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$275,873
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	3	6/29/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$30,653
														Subtotal = $306,526

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $306,860 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	2	1/22/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$276,174
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	2	2/25/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$30,686
														Subtotal = $306,860

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $307,420 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS	COMMONWEALTH AVE	AMHERST	MA	01003	HAMPSHIRE	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	3/13/2020	NEW	$307,420
														Subtotal = $307,420

Grand Total All Awards = $1,227,069

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Systems for Dramatically Improved Synthetic RNA

Award Number: R01GM134042

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: 04/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2025

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