Dr. Lisa Warner (Faculty) recently received a grant of over $400,000 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to study how the body regulates the production of collagen. With this award, Warner and her research collaborator Karen Lewis of Texas State University will study the early stages in collagen production, in which the DNA gene for collagen is transcribed and turned into RNA. The goal is to understand the mechanisms of translation regulation of collagen so that it might be possible to design novel drugs or therapy to treat fibrotic diseases.
Another exciting element of the research for Dr. Warner is the capacity to create first-hand biomedical research experiences for undergraduate students. Warner is eager to use this grant to create paid research opportunities for students in her lab, and in her Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) course, “Let’s Light Up Science.”