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Jennifer Benanti renews NIH MIRA to continue study of mechanisms controlling cell growth and division

Date Posted: Monday, September 01, 2025

Headshot of Jenny Benanti, PhD

Jennifer Benanti, PhD, has renewed her NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cell cycle control.

The proposed research will investigate key aspects of cell cycle regulation, focusing on how multisite phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinases modulates the activity of transcription factors to drive cell cycle progression, and exploring the role of cell cycle control in cellular adaptation to environmental stress.

By elucidating the pathways and mechanisms that govern these processes, the study aims to provide critical insights into how disruption of cell cycle regulation contributes to uncontrolled proliferation and the development of cancer.