Updated September 19, 2008

UNC-CH genetics researcher gets $800,000 NIH grant

Print this story

On The Web

A new National Institutes of Health program recognizing new research includes work done by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor.

Brian Strahl, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, received an $800,000 grant covering the next four years. Strahl is researching the so-called “histone code.”

Histones are proteins that help packaging of DNA.

The grant is part of the EUREKA (Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration) program. The NIH awarded 38 such grants.

“Defects in the enzymes that modify histones cause a wide variety of human diseases, including cancer,” said Strahl, a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Evidence also exists that these enzymes play a role in aging, neurodegeneration, molecular mechanisms regulating drug addiction, and stem cell biology.

“However, we only have limited information about how histone modifications interact with one another to elicit their biological effects on health and disease,” he added.

Copyright 2012 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Biotech & Life Science

Biotech & Life Science

The latest biotechnology and life science news. Read more articles…

Featured