Brad Day, a professor at Michigan State, and his team were recently awarded a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Health to study cell immunity. Day’s lab has been studying immunity since 2006 and Day’s next project could have big ramifications for the treatment of human and crop diseases.
Every cell has a cytoskeleton, which consists of tiny microfilaments that give the cell its shape. These microfilaments are usually separated and in constant motion, however when a pathogen attacks the cell, the microfilaments come together, preventing the pathogen from entering. Research shows that some pathogens can prevent this from happening, leaving the cell vulnerable. Medical research has shown that in some patients the cytoskeleton has not been behaving properly. With the grant, Brad Day and his team aim to better understand how the pathogens disrupt this cellular mechanism.
If the team of researchers can discover how the pathogen does this, it would have lasting effects on how we treat human diseases like Alzheimer’s, as well as crop disease. This study could be the foundation for treating diseases once thought to be incurable.
Interested in Professor Day’s research? Read more here.
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