NEWS IN BRIEF: NASA awards $5 million to create specialized center

Rice's Institute for Biosciences and Bioengineering has received a $5 million, five-year grant from NASA to serve as a NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in gravitational biology.

The center, headed by Larry McIntire, director of the Institute for Biosciences and Bioengineering, will study the effects of gravity, or the lack thereof, on cell functions and cell tissue.

"We've shown, and others have too, that gravitational forces affect what cells do," McIntire said.

"There is a good mix of investigators in this project," McIntire said, "from developmental biology, microbiology, cell biology and a wonderful mix of young to more senior investigators."

The research, being conducted by 13 scientists, will be applied to NASA projects and may have implications in the prevention of diseases such as osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis. Rice's partner in the project is the Johnson Space Center.

This item appeared in the News section of the September 22, 1995 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.

THRESHER ONLINE HOME PAGE The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu