NEBRASKA: Husker scientist receives $1.8M from NIH/HHS to study cellular metabolism’s role in fight against diseases
Cellular metabolism is emerging as a critical factor in controlling the immune system’s response to pathogens that cause human disease, as well as the activity of cancerous cells. Rajib Saha, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, is studying how those relationships evolve, with an eye toward development of therapeutics or drugs that could give the immune system an edge over these sometimes deadly enemies. He has received a five-year, $1.8M NIH/DDS Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) to support his research.
Saha’s work is computational, not lab-based. His team uses existing data in creating computer models for both white blood cells and pathogens. The models then interact with each other to determine how cells and pathogens might interact in a host. Later, colleagues will test Saha’s findings in the lab to validate or discount them.
Saha’s research will build on his team’s earlier success in developing a predictive and accurate modeling framework to track the time-dependent changes of cellular metabolism.