Wabash College Professors Land NSF Grant
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Two Wabash College professors have been awarded a nearly $470,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The college says the funding will be used to study the impacts of protein level control on human development and disease.
Erika Sorensen-Kamakian, assistant professor of biology and principal investigator, and Wally Novak, professor of chemistry and co-principal investigator, will lead a three-year effort to develop new methods for controlling protein levels in the roundworm, C. elegans, using the LOCKR method. Wabash says their work could lead to insights into life processes and disease states.
The college says LOCKR can be used to modify gene expression, which could lead new therapies for cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other diseases.
Wabash says the project will engage undergraduate students in year-round interdisciplinary research. Portions of the research will also be integrated into the college’s molecular genetics and biochemistry courses.
“We are proud of the work that our students accomplish in independent research projects,” said Novak. “This funding will allow us to engage even more students in these exciting research experiences. In addition, we are thrilled to take part in science that will have a large impact on the future of genetic research in C. elegans.”
Sorenson-Kamakian says the long-term goal of the study is to set the stage for using the LOCKR system in other animal models.
The college says the results of the study will be shared through presentations and publications.