AUM Chemistry Professor Wins $249,818 NIH Grant

Auburn University at Montgomery assistant professor Siva Sakamuri received a $249,818 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how cells generate and use energy in aging, cancer, neurodegenerative disease and brain health.

Sakamuri used the funding to purchase the university's first Seahorse XFe24 Metabolic Flux Analyzer, which measures cellular energy metabolism in real time. Few similar instruments operate in Alabama outside large research universities.

The device measures oxygen consumption and proton production in living cells, revealing which energy pathways cells use and how efficiently they function. Cells generate energy through two routes: mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, which is highly efficient, and glycolysis, which provides faster energy during stress.

"In cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders, cells reprogram the way they generate energy," Sakamuri said. "Understanding those changes can help scientists identify new therapeutic targets."

Sakamuri's research focuses on brain endothelial cells, which form the blood-brain barrier and regulate what enters and exits the brain. His team includes AUM faculty members FNU Shivakant, Benedict Okeke, Douglas Leaman and Pryce Haddix from the Department of Biology, along with David Ro from Chemistry. They collaborate with Balasubramanyam Karanam of Tuskegee University.

The analyzer will serve as a shared research resource at AUM, supporting interdisciplinary collaborations with nearby colleges and universities. The instrument will help faculty compete for future grants from the NIH and National Science Foundation.