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Aug. 17, 2004
GW Receives $1.5 Million to Develop “Protein Microscope”
New In Vivo Microscope Will Help Researchers Combat
Neurodegenerative Diseases
The George Washington University Institute for Proteomics
Technology and Applications (IPTA) recently received a three-year, $1.5
million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to develop a new in vivo “protein
microscope” to enable researchers for the first time to view how
proteins interact in living tissue. The microscope is expected to enable
researchers to identify protein targets that may advance the treatment
of neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou
Gehrig’s disease) and spinal muscular atrophy.
“This research has the potential to transform the field of proteomics,”
said John F. “Skip” Williams, University provost and vice president
for health affairs. “The University is proud to be on the cutting
edge of a dynamic field that has the opportunity to improve the quality
of people’s lives.”
The research has two primary phases. First, researchers will create an
in vivo “protein microscope” that provides images of protein
distributions in living cells and tissues by combining a high-tech mass
spectrometer with an optical microscope. Second, GW and Children’s
National Medical Center researchers will use the “protein microscope”
to explore protein distributions in and around the neuromuscular junction
in unprecedented detail.
“We thank the Keck Foundation for its support and look forward to
breaking new ground in the study of the structure and function of proteins,”
said Donald R. Lehman, executive vice president for academic affairs.
“This proposal for a ‘protein microscope’ is the kind of
high-yield, multi-team research that is the future of the sciences not
only at The George Washington University, but across the United States.
We worked diligently to mold focused research groups into a cross-disciplinary
team, which includes Children’s National Medical Center, that will
produce highly visible, unique research with the support of the Keck Foundation.”
Akos Vertes, professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular
biology, will serve as the principal investigator for the project. The
broad objectives of the GW IPTA are to engage in research in developing
new proteomics technology and in using that technology for proteomics
research. The IPTA is an interdisciplinary research collaborative among
the departments of chemistry, biology and physics at the Columbian College
of Arts and Sciences; the departments of biochemistry and molecular biology
and of pharmacology at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences; and
the computer science department at the School of Engineering and Applied
Science. The institute received funding from GW’s Research Enhancement
Fund to seed its growth.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
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