University Biology Professor William Roberts has received a $2.4 million grant to perform research on how human cells communicate chemically.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the five-year grant to fund neurobiology research that focuses on synaptic transmission in the nervous system, which is the basis for how the brain works.
Roberts, who is also the director of the University Institute of Neuroscience, submitted the grant proposal in February and waited for more than eight months to hear that it “survived” the competitive review process.
“This is a very exciting time for biology, with rapid progress being made at all levels from molecules to whole ecosystems, from evolutionary origins to human behavior,” Roberts said in an e-mail.
Roberts, who has been conducting cell research at the University for 13 years, said the study is aimed at gaining a better understanding about how people hear and see, adding that it could have implications for treating or preventing cell trauma. Through studies of how cells process calcium signals, encode minute time delays between the two ears and pinpoint the origin of a sound, Roberts said he hopes to better understand the human nervous system.
“We use frogs and fish as model systems for this work, but given the fundamental molecular similarities across species, we expect that results of these experiments will carry over to all animals, including ourselves,” Roberts said.
In trauma cases, cells lose their ability to regulate calcium, causing cell damage. Roberts’ research could lead to ways to help cells regulate chemicals, including calcium, which he said would not have been possible without outside funding.
“Despite budget cuts, changes of administrations and political pressures from all sides, these organizations have maintained their strong commitment to fund basic research, and need to be commended for their foresight,” Roberts said.
Funding for the grant’s first year totals $560,969 and will primarily support several graduate students, postdoctoral research associates, research assistants and support staff in Roberts’ lab.
The University receives more than $20 million annually from the National Institutes of Health for research and training grants and is the second largest recipient of such funds in Oregon.
“This prestigious NIH grant to Professor Bill Roberts exemplifies the quality of the University’s research in the biosciences and our ability to sustain external research sponsorship in an increasing competitive funding environment,” Vice President for Research Rich Linton said in an e-mail interview.
Office of Technology Transfer Director Don Gerhart said he sees the grant as both an accomplishment for the University and as a product of the inherent autonomy of faculty research.
“Faculty members chart their own course and they are really guided by their knowledge and understanding in the field,” Gerhart said. “This grant reflects the quality and promise of the work (Roberts) proposed to the funding agency.”
Like most public and private institutions, the University does not have the means to provide monetary support for more than the tiniest fraction of faculty research, which is why Roberts is modest about the attention to the research grant.
“Obtaining outside grant support is an important part of the job for all University faculty, and there are many other faculty members at this University with equal or larger grants,” Roberts said. “I’m just happy to contribute my part to the common effort.”