Congratulations to Dr. Bin Yu's Lab on Receiving an NIH Grant

by Joel Stranberg Thu, 09/13/2018 - 10:09

The School of Biological Sciences would like to congratulate Dr. Bin Yu and his lab on receiving a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant is slated to fund the lab’s project titled: Understand the function of the MOS4-associated complex in microRNA biogenesis.

The project that the NIH has granted funding for will be studying the role that the MOS4-associated complex (MAC) plays in the biological production of microRNA. Providing usefulness in both the diagnosis of developmental defects and diseases, as well as therapeutic purposes. Dr. Yu’s lab aims to understand how “the MOS4-associated complex regulates microRNA biogenesis.” Pursuing this new understanding will, according to their project abstract, lead to an improved understanding of “microRNA-mediated gene regulation” and will allow for the development of technology that can be used to improve both human and agricultural crop health.

The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, leading to more than 30 billion dollars being invested to achieve its mission: to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The NIH is a federally funded organization and funds 234 projects in Nebraska alone, totaling more than 111 million dollars.