A research grant of from the National Science Foundation has been awarded to the endowed professor of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Sunghee Lee, Ph.D., at Iona University in New Rochelle.
Totalling £345,000, these funds will enable her and her research group to study how living cells arrange molecular components in their membranes. The award will last from December of this year until November 2027. News of such a significant grant is often disseminated throughout a college community with flyer printing.
Lee explained that fatty lipid molecules comprise the two boundary layers of all cells. She added that the lipid molecules in the inner layer are different from the ones in the surrounding layer, and this difference is important for the functioning of cells. She commented that the reason for this difference is not yet known and the funding from the NSF will enable her and her research group to explore this topic further.
According to Lee, determining how the different sizes and shapes of lipid molecules affect the life cycle and functions of living cells is the goal of the project which will enable the development of advances in essential biological knowledge. The research will help to advance drug screening platforms, diagnostics, and the production of biosensors while also training upcoming scientists with interdisciplinary research driven by hypotheses.
