HANOVER, N.H. – Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) announced that researchers at Dartmouth College will receive more than $857,000 in federal grant money to fund further study of molecular and cellular biology.

The grant, administered by the National Institutes of Health, will go toward the school’s Protein Compartmentation research project, which has worked for more than 20 years to further the understanding of human cells to enable new medical advancements.

“Some of the world’s best scientific research is taking place right here in New Hampshire,” Kuster said. “Researchers at Dartmouth College are helping to give us a much better understanding of who we are and what we’re made of, and that will, hopefully, help us live longer and healthier lives.”

Under the Protein Compartmentation project, researchers are using yeast to study the fusion of cell membranes, in which specific compartments inside cells adhere to one another and merge. The research, which has been ongoing for more than 20 years, has revealed new possibilities for medical treatment and prevention in humans.

“As we understand how membrane fusion works in yeast, as we understand the fundamental process, then we understand it in humans,” said William Wickner, a biochemistry professor at Dartmouth and the project’s lead researcher. “The NIH has gone to great lengths to fund this research for many, many years. After all, we all get sick and we all want to live a long, long time. I am beyond grateful for this support.”

The research is awarded through the NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which supports research efforts across the country that helps lead to advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Additional information about the National Institute is available here.

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