Jian Zhang, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, has received an National Institutes of Health Trailblazer R21 Award to study the critical role cellular contractility plays in both development and disease. This $580,000 award from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering will provide three years of independent research funding in support of Zhang's work.

The Trailblazer Award is an opportunity for new and early-stage investigators to pursue research programs at the interface of life sciences with engineering and physical sciences.

"I feel excited to be awarded the Trailblazer R21 Award. It is the first federal grant I received as the sole PI since I joined the University of Arkansas last year, which will provide me with the resources and allow me to recruit more talented trainees to work on this highly challenging and highly rewarding project," Zhang said.

The focus of the awarded research project is to develop a high-throughput platform for isolating subgroups of cells based on their ability to generate contractile mechanical forces. The sorted subpopulations of cells will be used to investigate the role of cellular contractility on cell growth, metabolism and survival. The platform will be a versatile tool for understanding the role of distinct cellular mechanical properties in developmental biology, as well as in the progression of human diseases such as cancer.

The Zhang lab's research focuses on developing novel quantitative and mechanical tools to help understand biomedical science and apply those tools and new knowledge to help improve human health. "The Trailblazer Award provides important support and recognition of my effort toward this goal. Results from the awarded research will pave the way for future collaborations with biologists and clinicians, hopefully making even bigger contributions to the biomedical field," Zhang said.

Zhang received multiple forms of support from the Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC), funded through an NIH P20 COBRE award (P20GM139768). "AIMRC provided crucial support for my award application, assisted with funding my recruitment to the university and contributed to the purchase of a sophisticated confocal microscope pivotal for developing the high-throughput sorting platform," Zhang said.

Earlier this year, he was also awarded an AIMRC pilot project grant to investigate the bioenergetics of tumor cell clusters. For both the NIH Trailblazer Award and his AIMRC pilot project, Zhang's group plans to utilize AIMRC core facilities, such as the Bioenergetics Core, which can characterize the metabolism of sorted cell subpopulations.

As an AIMRC pilot project awardee, researchers like Zhang benefit from funding to support the collection of preliminary data that can be used to apply for federal research grants. They also receive technical support from the AIMRC's Imaging and Spectroscopy Core, Bioenergetics Core and Data Science Core as needed, and participate in the weekly seminar series and annual symposium organized by the AIMRC. AIMRC members also receive proposal development support through the center, and Zhang noted the excellent level of support he received allowed him to get his first grant submitted within two months of joining the university. 

For more information on becoming an AIMRC Pilot Project awardee, project leader, or for other AIMRC funding and collaborative opportunities, please visit the center website at aimrc.uark.edu or contact Kimberley Fuller at fullerk@uark.edu for more information.