NIH Grant Watch

Abstract

BioTechniquesVol. 45, No. 1 NIH Grant WatchOpen AccessNIH Grant WatchD. McCormick† & B. Perry†D. McCormick††D. McCormick is editorial director of BioTechniques. B. Perry is president of NIH Sales, Rockville, MD.Search for more papers by this author & B. Perry††D. McCormick is editorial director of BioTechniques. B. Perry is president of NIH Sales, Rockville, MD.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:16 May 2018https://doi.org/10.2144/000112878AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Protein Isolation and PurificationBioTechniques and NIH Sales sought out National Institutes of Health research grants awarded to proposals that featured protein purification and isolation. The search returned 499 grants awarded between Nov. 12, 2007, and June 1, 2008. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences contributed 21.6% of the aggregate $165.4 million distributed, followed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (19.9%) and the National Cancer Institute (16.0%). Grants ranged from $2.5 million for prion research at the University of California at San Francisco (see below) to $3500 to support research on structure-function relationships in kinesins at the Institute for Molecular Cell Biology in Dresden, Germany.Degenerative and Dementing Diseases of Aging $2,545,642(5P01AG002132-28, National Institute on Aging, 2/11/2008)Stanley B. Prusiner (University Of California, San Francisco, CA)Goal: To understand the replication of prions and the pathogenesis of prion diseases, and to identify therapeutic targets. The research program will investigate 1) the structure of the pathogenic isoform of the prion protein (PrPSc) using cryo-electron crystallography, computational modeling, and small-angle X-ray fiber; 2) suitability of well-established prion strains for structural analysis by electron crystallography and fiber; 3) PrP structural transitions; 4) the possibility that a mixture of PrP conformers can be manipulated by previously unappreciated features of PrP's topogenic sequences; and 5) the molecular basis of the species barrier. The proposed studies use Random Homozygous Knockout (RHKO), a novel mutational technology that enables the random homozygous inactivation of chromosomal genes in initially susceptible cell populations and the identification and isolation of cells that consequently survive prion-induced lethality.Medical Structural Genomics of Pathogenic Protozoa (MSGPP) $2,265,689(5P01AI067921-03, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 4/14/2008)Wilhelmus G. J. Hol (University Of Washington, Seattle, WA)Goal: To accelerate development of drugs to combat the 10 major pathogenic protozoa that infect humans by 1) analyzing the genome sequences from the targeted protozoa for suitable MSGPP protein targets from a functional and ligand perspective; 2) expressing, crystallizing, and determining three-dimensional structures of the selected crucial proteins, focusing on complexes with small-molecule ligands; 3) applying computational processes to these structures to predict new ligands targeting key sites of the selected proteins; 4) discovering in solution small-molecule ligands binding to target proteins; and 5) using such ligands for the development of new leads and drug candidates, in collaboration with interested institutions. Protein targets will be selected from the following pathogenic protozoa: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania major, Leishmania infantum, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Toxoplasma gondii.Structure and Function of Beta3 Integrins on Blood Cells $1,888,035(5P01HL073311-05, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 3/28/2008)Edward Plow (Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH)Goal: To study the structure and function of the beta3 integrins, alpha-IIb-beta3 and alpha-v-beta3, targeting platelets, and endothelial cells. The program seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate the contribution of alpha-IIb-beta3 and alpha-v-beta3 to the adhesive and migratory responses of these cells. These data will, in turn, illuminate complex biological responses, including platelet aggregation and the angiogenic response of endothelial cells.Combinatorial Chemistry and Cancer Target $1,341,169(5P01CA078045-10, National Cancer Institute, 2/8/2008)Peter K Vogt (Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA)Goal: To meld combinatorial chemistry and modern cancer biology and genetics, and to identify novel anticancer compounds. The program includes 1) production and testing of libraries targeted to protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions; 2) isolation of angiogenesis inhibitors (specifically of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and integrin alpha3beta1); and 3) isolation of small-molecule regulators of the Myc network and of beta-catenin-LEF interaction.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 45, No. 1 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics Downloaded 163 times History Published online 16 May 2018 Published in print July 2008 Information© 2008 Author(s)PDF download