The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received an NHLBI R35 award through NIH research grants totaling USD 1,081,420 for the current budget period, supporting a seven-year program led by investigator Wolfgang Bergmeier to examine signaling mechanisms underlying platelet count and function disorders.
The award, issued March 13, 2026 under funding opportunity RFA-HL-26-002, covers basic mechanistic and translational research into G protein networks and integrin receptor activity in platelets, with parallel aims in venous thrombosis pathogenesis, biomarker assay development, and inherited and acquired platelet disorders. The project runs through January 2033, with the first budget period extending to January 2027.
The R35 mechanism, which NHLBI uses to support investigators with sustained programmatic research rather than discrete project-based funding, reflects a commitment to long-horizon basic science in platelet biology. The work spans four research areas: G protein and integrin signaling in platelet activation, platelet contributions to venous thrombosis, development of assays measuring primed platelet states across disease contexts, and correction of defects in platelet count and function in inherited and acquired disorders. Stated translational targets include antithrombotic therapy, biomarker identification, and transfusion medicine.
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