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Award ID | Description | Recipient | Total Value | Awarding Agency | Funding Agency | Set Aside | NAICS | PSC | Award Date | Start Date | End Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE, ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES, AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGE | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $150,000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Feb 3, 2026 | Nov 19, 2025 | Nov 18, 2028 | ||
| ELECTRODES | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $6,580 | DEPT OF THE NAVY | DEPT OF THE NAVY | — | 334417Electronic Connector Manufacturing | 5977ELECTRICAL CONTACT BRUSHES AND ELECTRODES | Sep 30, 2025 | Sep 30, 2025 | Dec 1, 2025 | ||
| SCRIPPS RESEARCH | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $215,477 | DEPT OF THE NAVY | DEPT OF THE NAVY | — | 541330Engineering Services | R425SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: ENGINEERING/TECHNICAL | Sep 30, 2024 | Sep 30, 2024 | Apr 30, 2025 | ||
| RATIONAL SYSTEMIC CHARACTERIZATION AND SELECTION OF ADJUVANTS FOR HIV VACCINE CANDIDATES (R-CASA) | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $9,587,256 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541715Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | AN12HEALTH R&D SERVICES; HEALTH CARE SERVICES; APPLIED RESEARCH | Aug 1, 2024 | Aug 1, 2024 | Jul 31, 2029 | ||
| COMPREHENDING WHY RNA BY INVESTIGATING THE PRIMITIVE CONTEMPORARIES OF RNA | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $2,000,000 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AJ11GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; BASIC RESEARCH | Apr 2, 2024 | Mar 11, 2024 | Mar 10, 2028 | ||
| SCRIPPS BAA - TOPIC 7 - GENOMIC SEQUENCING OF SARS-COV-2 | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $2,545,376 | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | — | 541713Research and Development in Nanotechnology | AJ12GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY R&D SERVICES; GENERAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; APPLIED RESEARCH | Sep 6, 2022 | Sep 14, 2022 | Sep 13, 2024 | ||
| GENOMIC SEQUENCING OF SARS-COV-2 TO INVESTIGATE LOCAL AND CROSS-BORDER EMERGENCE AND SPREAD | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $2,477,409 | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | — | 541714Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) | AN11HEALTH R&D SERVICES; HEALTH CARE SERVICES; BASIC RESEARCH | Sep 10, 2020 | Sep 10, 2020 | Sep 6, 2022 | ||
| ON PREBIOTIC EARTH, THE FORMATION OF MICELLES AND VESICLES IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT PROCESS SETTING THE PHYSICAL STAGE FOR THE CHEMICAL ORIGINS OF LIFE. THE CREATION OF A DYNAMIC SEMI-PERMEABLE PHYSICAL BARRIER OF VESICLES IS THOUGHT TO ENABLE SEP | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $1,686,775 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Mar 16, 2020 | Aug 1, 2020 | Jan 31, 2024 | ||
| "PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF INVESTIGATIONAL GHRELIN VACCINES-- GHRELIN VACCINES AGAINST RAT HORMONE". TASK ORDER 5. 09/21/2019-12/31/2020. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $116,199 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541711 | AN31HEALTH R&D SERVICES; CONSUMER AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; BASIC RESEARCH | Sep 16, 2019 | Sep 21, 2019 | Jan 31, 2021 | ||
| IGF:OT:IGF PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF INVESTIGATIONAL GHRELIN VACCINES--GHRELIN VACCINE AGAINST RAT HORMONE. TASK ORDER 4 HHSN275201500006I/HHSN27500004). 9/21/2018 TO 9/20/2019. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $125,402 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541711 | AN31HEALTH R&D SERVICES; CONSUMER AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; BASIC RESEARCH | Sep 19, 2018 | Sep 19, 2018 | Nov 1, 2019 | ||
| SERVICES FOR CONTRACT FOR BEHAVIORAL EXPERIMENTS AND PHENOTYPING CONDUCTED ON MICE AT VA SAN DIEGO MEDICAL CENTER, SAN DIEGO, CA 92161. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $12,101 | VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF | VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF | — | 541713Research and Development in Nanotechnology | B537SPECIAL STUDIES/ANALYSIS- MEDICAL/HEALTH | Aug 3, 2018 | Aug 20, 2018 | Feb 2, 2019 | ||
| OF ALL THE PLAUSIBLE PREBIOTIC SOURCE MOLECULES, CYANIDE AND ALDEHYDES ARE CONSIDERED THE SIMPLEST AND WIDELY PREVALENT. THE REACTIONS OF CYANIDE AND SIMPLE ALDEHYDES, IN THE CONTEXT OF PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY, ARE PROPOSED TO HAVE PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN ACCUMULATING IMPORTANT PREBIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT BUILDING BLOCKS (NUCLEOBASES, SUGARS, HYDROXY ACIDS, FATTY ACIDS AND AMINO ACIDS). HOWEVER, FURTHER CHEMISTRIES OF THE THUS PRODUCED PRIMORDIAL BUILDING BLOCKS ARE USUALLY DEALT SEPARATELY , IN ISOLATION FROM THE VERY PREBIOTIC MOLECULAR SOURCE MOLECULES THEY WERE PRODUCED FROM, WHICH IS HIGHLY UNREALISTIC. SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT THAT HAS TO BE RECKONED WITH IN PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE HETEROGENEOUS PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION THAT RESULTS IN ALMOST ALL OF THE PREBIOTIC REACTIONS (FOR EXAMPLE THE FORMOSE REACTION AND HCN POLYMERIZATION TO NAME A FEW). WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT UNDER SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY SCENARIOS THE SOURCE PREBIOTIC MOLECULES (SUCH AS CYANIDE AND FORMALDEHYDE) WOULD ALSO INTERACT WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE REACTION PRODUCTS, AND LEAD TO PRODUCTIVE PRIMORDIAL REACTION PATHWAYS. SPECIFICALLY, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF SIMPLE ALDEHYDES AND ALPHA-HYDROXY KETO ACIDS BY THEIR INTERACTION WITH CYANIDE (IN THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF AMINO COMPOUNDS) WOULD LEAD TO ALTERNATIVE AND EXTANT BIOGENIC MOLECULES. WE PROPOSE TO SYSTEMATICALLY INVESTIGATE THE SCOPE OF THIS CYANIDE MEDIATED SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY WITH A VIEW TO DEVELOPING AN INVENTORY OF SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY REACTIONS (SUCH AS THE REACTIONS IN A REDUCTIVE CITRIC ACID CYCLE) THAT CAN BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING GIVEN A CONTINUOUS SUPPLY OF PREBIOTIC SOURCE MOLECULES. THIS WOULD SET THE STAGE FOR SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY TO TRANSFORM INTO PROTO-METABOLIC PATHWAYS. WE HAVE PROMISING PRELIMINARY RESULTS THAT LEND CREDENCE TO THE CYANIDE MEDIATED SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY HYPOTHESIS AND APPROACH. WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT CYANIDE INTERACTS WITH MANY SMALL MOLECULES (SUCH AS FORMALDEHYDE AND GLYOXYLATE), GETS INCORPORATED AND HYDROLYZED TO YIELD A SUITE OF HYDROXY ACIDS THAT ARE CONSTITUENTS OF SOME OF THE METABOLIC CYCLES OF EXTANT BIOLOGY. MOREOVER, BASED ON THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM SUCH HYDROXY ACIDS TO KETO ACIDS, WE PROPOSE THAT INTERACTION OF THESE KETO ACIDS WITH CYANIDE WOULD OPEN UP OPPORTUNITIES (SUCH AS REDUCTIVE CHEMISTRIES) THAT WERE NOT POSSIBLE PREVIOUSLY IN A PREBIOTIC CONTEXT. BASED ON THIS HYPOTHESIS, WE HAVE DEVELOPED AN EFFICIENT CONVERSION OF AN ALPHA-KETO ACID (OXALA ACETATE) TO ITS CORRESPONDING ALPHA HYDROXY ACID (MALATE) UNDER POTENTIALLY PREBIOTIC CONDITIONS. THIS OBSERVATION ALSO OPENS UP A NOVEL REDUCTIVE AMINATION PROCESS THAT COULD CONVERT SELECTED ALPHA-KETO ACIDS TO THE CORRESPONDING ALPHA-AMINO ACIDS. THE DEMONSTRATION OF MANY OF THE KEY STEPS OF THE REDUCTIVE CITRIC ACID CYCLE, THAT SO FAR HAS ELUDED EXPERIMENTAL DEMONSTRATION, WOULD BECOME POSSIBLE BY EMPLOYING THIS CYANIDE MEDIATED CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATION REPETITIVELY. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE PREBIOTIC EVOLUTION RESEARCH EMPHASIS OF EXOBIOLGY, SPECIFICALLY RELATING TO THE MAJOR OBJECTIVE IN DETERMINING WHAT CHEMICAL SYSTEMS COULD HAVE SERVED AS PRECURSORS OF METABOLIC SYSTEMS ON EARTH AND/OR ELSEWHERE. THIS PROPOSAL ALSO EXPERIMENTALLY MODELS A TYPE OF EARLY ENVIRONMENT ON THE EARTH IN WHICH ORGANIC CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS COULD OCCUR IN THE CONTEXT OF PROTOMETABOLIC PATHWAYS. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $911,716 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Aug 1, 2018 | Aug 1, 2018 | Jun 24, 2022 | ||
| MICRO-PLASTIC TROPHIC STUDY FOR THE EPA IN HI | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $95,000 | DEPT OF THE ARMY | ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY | — | 541620Environmental Consulting Services | F999OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES | May 10, 2018 | May 9, 2018 | Dec 30, 2022 | ||
| SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE:1107076 [18-003148] | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $6,068 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541713Research and Development in Nanotechnology | Q301MEDICAL- LABORATORY TESTING | Jan 10, 2018 | Jan 10, 2018 | Jan 9, 2019 | ||
| IGF::CT::IGF EXPERT WITNESS SERVICES YRG$ S0130602 | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $6,000 | OFFICES, BOARDS AND DIVISIONS | OFFICES, BOARDS AND DIVISIONS | — | 541199All Other Legal Services | R424SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: EXPERT WITNESS | Sep 24, 2017 | Sep 24, 2017 | May 30, 2018 | ||
| JEMS DATA PROCESSING IGF::CT::IGF | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $23,875 | DEPT OF THE NAVY | DEPT OF THE NAVY | — | 518210Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | D319 | Sep 20, 2017 | Sep 20, 2017 | Sep 29, 2018 | ||
| IGF::OT::IGF:THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE. TASK ORDER 3 (HHSN275201500006I/HHSN27500003)."PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF INVESTIGATIONAL GHRELIN VACCINES--GHRELIN VACCINE AGAINST RAT HORMONE. 09/21/17 - 09/20/18. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $122,391 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541711 | AN31HEALTH R&D SERVICES; CONSUMER AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; BASIC RESEARCH | Sep 14, 2017 | Sep 14, 2017 | May 5, 2021 | ||
| LAB SUPPLIES | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $140,000 | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | — | 541711 | 6640LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES | Aug 16, 2017 | Aug 7, 2017 | Sep 30, 2017 | ||
| IGF::OT::IGF:THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE. TASK ORDER 2 (HHSN275201500006I/HHSN27500002)."PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF INVESTIGATIONAL GHRELIN VACCINES--GHRELIN VACCINE AGAINST RAT HORMONE. 09/21/16 - 09/20/17. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $118,296 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541711 | AN31HEALTH R&D SERVICES; CONSUMER AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; BASIC RESEARCH | Sep 16, 2016 | Sep 16, 2016 | Sep 20, 2017 | ||
| IGF::OT::IGF SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE:1107076 | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $115,121 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541711 | R499SUPPORT- PROFESSIONAL: OTHER | Feb 25, 2016 | Feb 25, 2016 | Feb 28, 2017 | ||
| IGF::OT::IGF-SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE HHSN275201500006I HHSN275200001 | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $90,001 | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH | — | 541711 | AN31HEALTH R&D SERVICES; CONSUMER AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; BASIC RESEARCH | Sep 21, 2015 | Sep 21, 2015 | Sep 20, 2016 | ||
| THE CONCEPT OF SIMPLER GENETIC SYSTEMS HAS BEEN INTRODUCED IN THE CONTEXT OF ORIGINS OF LIFE RESEARCH TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES FACED IN THE PROCESS OF SELF-ASSEMBLY OF RNA FROM ITS CONSTITUENT BUILDING BLOCKS. THIS HAS LED TO A SEARCH FOR SYSTEMS BASED PRIMARILY ON STRUCTURAL SIMPLICITY BY PARING DOWN RNA. HOWEVER, MANY OF THE STRUCTURALLY SIMPLER SYSTEMS ARE NOT SIMPLE WHEN VIEWED FROM THE ANGLE OF HOW THEY WOULD FORM FROM SIMPLER BUILDING BLOCKS DERIVABLE FROM POTENTIAL PREBIOTIC PRECURSOR MOLECULES UNDER PLAUSIBLE PREBIOTIC GEOCHEMICAL ENVIRONMENTS. WE PROPOSE THAT THE CONSTITUENTS OF METABOLIC CYCLES CAN BE USED AS A STARTING POINT TO SEARCH FOR POSSIBLE BUILDING BLOCKS OF SIMPLER GENETIC SYSTEMS. THE CENTRAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSAL IS TO EVALUATE WHETHER SIMPLER GENETIC SYSTEMS CAN BE GENERATED WITH MOLECULES THAT ARE OF `LOWER COMPLEXITY THAN RIBOSE-5-PHOSPHATE (BY SIMILAR CHEMICAL PATHWAYS). THE PROPOSAL AIMS TO DETERMINE AT WHAT LEVEL OF CHEMICAL SOPHISTICATION OF SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY (COMPRISING OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS AND PATHWAYS) DOES THE POTENTIAL AND OPPORTUNITY ARISE FOR A SELF-ASSEMBLY OF A MOLECULAR SCAFFOLD AND ARCHITECTURE THAT HAS THE CAPABILITY OF ACTING AS A RUDIMENTARY GENETIC SYSTEM. SUCH AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION MAY GIVE RISE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF MIMICKING THE PROCESS OF HOW SET(S) OF REACTIONS AND THEIR PARTICIPANTS CAN PROGRESS TO GIVE RISE TO FURTHER MOLECULAR ACTORS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF ACQUIRING PROPERTIES (SUCH AS SELF-REPLICATION) NOT INHERENT IN THE STARTING SET OF MOLECULES. THIS WOULD ADDRESS A MAJOR OBJECTIVE OF EXOBIOLOGY: DETERMINING WHAT CHEMICAL SYSTEMS COULD HAVE SERVED AS PRECURSORS OF METABOLIC AND REPLICATING SYSTEMS ON EARTH AND ELSEWHERE, INCLUDING ALTERNATIVES TO THE CURRENT DNA-RNA-PROTEIN BASIS FOR LIFE. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $567,358 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Jun 12, 2015 | May 20, 2015 | Aug 20, 2018 | ||
| RNA AND THE `RNA WORLD POSTULATE HAVE BECOME A MAIN STAY OF MANY SCENARIOS PUT FORWARD TO EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF LIFE IN THE CONTEXT OF CHEMICAL EVOLUTION. HOWEVER, THE CHEMICAL EVENTS THAT LED TO THE EMERGENCE OF RNA, AND THE SELF-ASSEMBLY OF RNA VIA POTENTIALLY NATURAL PATHWAYS, IS STILL UNCLEAR. A `PRE-RNA WORLD CONCEPT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED WHEREIN AN ANCESTOR (OR ANCESTORS) OF RNA, WHICH IS (ARE) EASIER TO ASSEMBLE FROM PREBIOTIC COMPONENTS, WOULD HAVE ENABLED THE APPEARANCE OF RNA. HOWEVER, THE INTRODUCTION OF AN `ANCESTOR OF RNA BRINGS ADDITIONAL COMPLICATIONS: FOR EXAMPLE, HOW A `PRE-RNA WORLD TRANSITIONED TO AN `RNA WORLD: (A) DID THE `PRE-RNA WORLD HAVE ITS OWN PROTO-PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY WITH ITS OWN GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE? (B) HOW MUCH OF THESE PROCESSES COULD BE (WERE) PORTED OVER TO THE `RNA WORLD ? (C) OR DID THE `RNA WORLD HAVE TO DEVELOP ALL OF ITS, GENEOTYPE, PHENOTYPE AND ITS ASSOCIATED PROCESSES, 'DE NOVO INDEPENDENT OF THE PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED SYSTEMS CHEMISTRY? MORE IMPORTANTLY, A CLEAN TRANSITION FROM A HOMOGENEOUS PRE-RNA WORLD TO A HOMOGENEOUS RNA WORLD (AKIN TO A RNA WORLD TO A DNA-RNA-PROTEIN WORLD TRANSITION) WOULD HAVE BEEN HIGHLY UNLIKELY UNLESS THERE WERE SOPHISTICATED MECHANISMS TO SEPARATE THEIR CHEMISTRIES. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, IT MAY HAVE BEEN MORE OF MIXTURE OF (HETEROGENEOUS) SYSTEMS, THEIR CHEMISTRIES AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THEM THAT WOULD HAVE DICTATED THE PATH OF CHEMICAL EVOLUTION. FURTHER SELECTION PRESSURES, SUCH AS STABILITY (TOWARDS HYDROLYSIS AND DECOMPOSITION) AND THE ABILITY TO FORM COMPLEX STRUCTURES (CONFERRING THE ABILITY TO REPLICATE, ACT AS A CATALYST AND SELECTIVELY BIND TO SMALL MOLECULES) WOULD HAVE FINE-TUNED THE MIXTURE TOWARDS HOMOGENEITY. ONCE A HOMOGENEOUS SYSTEM CAME TO DOMINATE, IT COULD HAVE RECRUITED THE NECESSARY PARTNERS AND EVOLVED THE CHEMISTRY NEEDED TO SELF-SUSTAIN AND PROPAGATE ITSELF. THE PROPOSAL AIMS TO TACKLE THE QUESTION OF A `PRE-RNA WORLD FROM A GRADUAL CHEMICAL EVOLUTION VIEW-POINT BY POSTULATING THAT THERE NEED NOT HAVE BEEN A CLEAN TRANSITION FROM ONE HOMOGENEOUS SYSTEM TO ANOTHER HOMOGENEOUS SYSTEM, BUT RATHER A COMBINATORIAL MIXING-IN AND MUTATION OF INDIVIDUAL CHEMICAL-STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS RESULTING IN A PROGRESSIVE EVOLUTION THAT LED TO RNA. IN THIS SCENARIO RNA WOULD HAVE BEEN A PRODUCT OF INCREMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL REPLACEMENT OF THE PREVIOUS SYSTEM(S) RATHER THAN A REPLACEMENT OF THE SYSTEM(S) AS A WHOLE. THIS IMPLIES THAT THE PREVIOUS SYSTEM(S) NEED NOT BE HOMOGENEOUS; RATHER, THIS ALLOWS FOR THE ANCESTORS OF RNA TO BE A HETEROGENEOUS MIXTURE OF BACKBONES, RECOGNITION ELEMENTS AND LINKERS, OR AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PARADIGM OF TRANSITION. THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTION IS THAT THE SAME TYPE OF (ABIOTIC) CHEMISTRY THAT GAVE RISE TO RNA BUILDING BLOCKS, WOULD HAVE ALSO OPERATED ON POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES AND PRODUCE ALTERNATIVE BUILDING BLOCKS (BACKBONE AND RECOGNITION ELEMENTS) THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER PROCESSING. EMERGENCE OF RNA WOULD HAVE RESULTED FROM A PROCESS OF GRADUAL CHEMICAL EVOLUTION, AS THE RESULT OF AN OPTIMIZATION OF STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIP. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $1,050,810 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Sep 5, 2014 | Aug 15, 2014 | Oct 31, 2017 | ||
| THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES WORK THAT IS PART OF A LARGER NASA-SPONSORED EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH, WHICH WILL GUIDE THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE. IT PERTAINS TO A FORM OF RNA-BASED LIFE THAT LIKELY EXISTED DURING EARTH S EARLY HISTORY, AS A PREDECESSOR TO THE CURRENT DNA-RNA-PROTEIN-BASED LIFE. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AIMS TO CONSTRUCT RNA-BASED LIFE IN THE LABORATORY AS REPRESENTED BY POPULATIONS OF RNA ENZYMES THAT CATALYZE THEIR OWN REPLICATION AND UNDERGO DARWINIAN EVOLUTION IN A SELF-SUSTAINED MANNER. THE RESEARCH ALSO SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND MOLECULAR PROCESSES THAT ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO THE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH AND ELSEWHERE. DURING THE COURSE OF PRIOR NASA-SPONSORED RESEARCH, OUR LABORATORY DEVELOPED THE FIRST EXAMPLE OF AN RNA ENZYME THAT CATALYZES ITS OWN REPLICATION AND CAN TRANSMIT HERITABLE INFORMATION FROM PARENT TO PROGENY MOLECULES. THIS SYSTEM INVOLVES PAIRS OF RNA ENZYMES THAT CATALYZE EACH OTHER S SYNTHESIS BY JOINING TOGETHER COMPONENT OLIGONUCLEOTIDE BUILDING BLOCKS. EACH BUILDING BLOCK CAN HAVE MANY ALTERNATIVE COMPOSITIONS AND CAN BE JOINED IN MANY DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS. IN ADDITION, NEW VARIANTS CAN ARISE THROUGH RECOMBINATION DURING THE COURSE OF REPLICATION. VARIANTS THAT REPLICATE MOST EFFICIENTLY GROW TO DOMINATE THE POPULATION UNTIL NEW, MORE ADVANTAGEOUS VARIANTS ARISE, RESULTING IN AN ONGOING DARWINIAN BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AIMS TO INCREASE THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PRESENT RNA-BASED EVOLVING SYSTEM SO THAT IT CAN BRING ABOUT THE INVENTION OF NOVEL FUNCTION. LARGE, HETEROGENEOUS POPULATIONS OF SELF-REPLICATING RNAS WILL BE CHALLENGED TO ADAPT TO VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, RESULTING IN THE EMERGENCE OF NOVEL FUNCTIONAL TRAITS THAT CONFER SELECTIVE ADVANTAGE. AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS CHANGE, FURTHER ADAPTATIONS WILL ARISE THROUGH EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES THAT CAN BE CONTINUED INDEFINITELY. THIS WORK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE THE FIRST EXAMPLE OF A LIVING SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF TERRESTRIAL BIOLOGY. IT ALSO WILL SHED LIGHT ON THE CHEMICAL BASIS OF LIFE AND ON THE PRESUMED ANCESTOR OF CONTEMPORARY LIFE ON EARTH. | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $692,850 | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION | — | — | AR21 | Jun 24, 2014 | Jun 9, 2014 | Sep 18, 2017 | ||
| GLYCAN STOCK | SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE | $0 | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION | — | 325413In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing | 6810CHEMICALS | Aug 1, 2013 | Aug 1, 2013 | Sep 30, 2013 |