ICNSM Seed Grants 2026-2027

Overview

The ICNSM Seed Grant Program aims to support collaborative research between IISc and Tufts University and catalyze innovative, interdisciplinary projects that advance the understanding of nutrition in health and disease, with a focus on translation to real-world impact.

In 2026, ICNSM awarded seed grants to eight joint IISc–Tufts research projects across five focus areas:

  • Cardiovascular metabolic disease, obesity, and diabetes
  • Food as Medicine
  • Precision nutrition
  • Community-based disease prevention
  • Food systems, sustainability, and climate–health connections

Funded Projects

1. Translational regulation of MTCH2 by stop codon readthrough in obesity-promoting conditions                

PIs: Sandeep M. Eswarappa (IISc) and  Andrew Greenberg (Tufts)

2. Connecting Metabolic Stress to Aging and Diabetes through Glycation of the Extracellular Matrix

PIs: Ramray Bhat (IISc) and Sheldon Rowan (Tufts)

3. Understanding the mechanism by which fasting mimicking diets restore β-cell function and insulin secretion following high fat diet induced damage

PIs: Nikhil R. Gandasi (IISc) and Sai Krupa Das (Tufts)

4. Iron, Gut Microbes, and the Kidney: Unlocking the Mechanism of CKD Incidence and Progression

PIs: Swaminathan Sundararaman (IISc) and Meng Wang (Tufts)

5. Reviving cultural superfood: Co-designing millet-based interventions to address triple burden of malnutrition among adolescents

PIs: Archana Siddhiah (IISc) and Sara Folta (Tufts)

6. Pregnancy and postpartum cardiometabolic trajectories of women in India and associated nutritional determinants: a cohort study

PIs: Uttara Partap (IISc) and Larissa Calancie (Tufts)

7. Designing interventions to promote walkability and physical activity in urban
and rural settings in South India

PIs: Prabhdeep Kaur (IISc) and Lisa Quintiliani (Tufts)

8. From Local Knowledge to Action: Integrating Policy and Modelling for Sustainable Food Systems and Climate – Health Resilience in India   

PIs: Sumirtha Gandhi (IISc) and Udita Sanga (Tufts)

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