Making Sense of Microtubules — Dr. David Sharp has been awarded $1.2 million over four years to study the dynamic severing and rebuilding of microtubules that enables cells to move and divide. In collaboration with grant co-investigator Jennifer Ross of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Dr. Sharp will study how two poorly understood enzymes, Fidgetin and Fidgetin-like 2, severe microtubules along their length. Drs. Sharp and Ross hope their work will lead to novel therapies for the human disorders caused by cell-motility defects, including mental retardation, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Dr. Sharp is professor of physiology and biophysics.
Posted on: Wednesday, August 27, 2014