Tufts on May 10 announced that the School of Arts and Sciences had been awarded a $9.5 million grant for the creation of a cutting-edge genome research facility, with the goal of developing cures for genetic diseases.
The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for Research Resources gave Tufts the grant to build a Collaborative Cluster in Genome Structure and Developmental Patterning in Health and Disease as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The grant will fund the renovation of a 16,527 square-foot space at 200 Boston Ave. that will become the primary research center for 70 researchers from Tufts' Department of Biology, according to the press release.
Researchers in the areas of genome structure, developmental and regenerative biology, and tissue engineering will work together in the space to conduct research on hereditary diseases, birth defects and tissue regeneration.
Professor of Biology Michael Levin believes that the construction of the facility will lead to significant progress in these areas of research.
"Being together and being able to interact and collaborate with some of the other faculty that are going to be moving is really going to jump-start this whole process," Levin said. "Having everybody under one roof, and especially combining the unique expertise of the genomic group here, is really going to be very exciting."
Tufts submitted the application for the grant on July 17, according to Associate Professor of Biology Juliet Fuhrman, chair of the department. Fuhrman added that only a few grants of this nature are awarded in each state.
"NIH recognized a real strength in our proposed scientific program that would unite molecular scientists in innovative research to look for innovative solutions to a variety of scientific areas," Fuhrman said.
Levin echoed Fuhrman in highlighting the collaborative nature of the work at the center.
"What we're going to do is basically facilitate the interplay of a couple of different areas of expertise that we have in the department," Levin said.
Levin said that the team of researchers will study the role that genome structure and stability play in human health and disease, which will facilitate the development of curative techniques.
He added that researching these specific issues necessitates bringing together a number of experts specializing in different fields.
"These are complex biological problems that transcend the artificial boundaries that people impose on them," he said. "We can all work together to develop fundamental insight into regulation in cells and tissues and use that information to develop biological applications."
In providing a centralized location for experts from different fields to work together, the center facilitates such cross-boundary interaction.
"This whole genetics structure and function group will get a new and more comfortable home," Professor of Biology Sergei Mirkin said. "This way, we will all be on the same floor in a state-of-the-art place, and we can do all sorts of modern research."
Going into detail about his research, Mirkin said that he has sought to identify the mechanisms behind genetic instability and genetic abnormalities. He hopes to use the new space to gain an understanding of how such genetic instabilities affect organisms.
"Abnormalities of DNA replication, when it goes through this repetitive run, are responsible for this phenomenon," he said. "We've made very big progress from this direction to build a model for this expansion."
Levin added that the research team also aims to discover biological mechanisms and technology through which the body can be induced to regenerate tissue.
Fuhrman noted that beyond being a place to conduct cutting-edge research, the center is also intended to be a teaching venue.
"The space is designed to maximize interaction with faculty and be an ideal space for students to receive training and have the opportunity to be involved in research across disciplinary boundaries and to look at prevalent biological problems," Fuhrman said. "It's an ideal training ground for students at all levels."
