NEW YORK, July 22 (GenomeWeb News) - The Hamill Foundation has awarded four one-year, $15,000 grants to scientists at Rice University's Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering as part of the institute's new Hamill Innovation Grant Program, Rice announced yesterday.
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The inaugural grants will fund research by: Rebekah Drezek and Jane Tao to develop a nanoparticle-based point-of-care test for respiratory viruses; Ching-Hwa Kiang and Michael Deem to investigate the mechanical properties of the protein titin; Jane Grande-Allen and Joff Silberg to develop new tools to sequence and manipulate complex chains of carbohydrates called glycosamionoglycans, which are fundamental components of the extracellular matrix in all higher-order life forms; and George Bennett and Ka-Yiu San to explore methods for biosynthesizing resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes, mulberries, peanuts, and other plants that has shown promise as a potential cancer-fighting agent and a heart disease preventive.
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"This new program is designed to provide start-up funding for research programs that have enormous potential but which traditional funding agencies too often reject as risky," said Jennifer West, the director of the IBB. "We are extremely grateful to the Hamill Foundation for its support of this innovative program."