SOUTH KINGSTOWN – A University of Rhode Island researcher has netted a $747,000 grant to investigate how zinc movement within the brain impacts neural development and disorders.
Caitlin Murdoch, an assistant professor of cell and molecular biology at URI, obtained the award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
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Murdoch says that a better understanding of how zinc moves within cells could eventually help scientists develop new treatments for diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders.
Her lab will use zebrafish, a type of minnow, and cell cultures models to study this movement.
While researchers recognize zinc as important in human biology, “we still know surprisingly little about how cells direct zinc to the specific enzymes and pathways that rely on it, particularly during neurogenesis,” she said.Low levels of zinc in the body can interfere with critical processes such as DNA, RNA and protein synthesis, Murdoch said, which can cause structural and functional abnormalities that cause such disorders
This focus ties into Murdoch’s broader research program, which “aims to uncover how genetic and environmental factors influence the way cells handle essential nutrient metals,” she said, “and how these metal-dependent processes guide normal cellular and tissue development.
“This grant directly advances that goal by allowing me to investigate how zinc metabolism shapes early brain development,” Murdoch added.
With the funding, Murdoch says she will also expand her research team and opportunities for hands-on training experiences.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
