How is NIGMS supporting research into the functions of proteins?
A. Functionally motivated structural studies have made major contributions to biology and medicine, and studies of this type remain a top priority at NIGMS. Of the structural biology projects that NIGMS funds, an increasing portion involve functional studies of proteins and other macromolecules. Although the PSI focuses on structural determination and funds are not provided in the PSI research center grants for functional studies, NIGMS does provide supplements to research project (R01) grantees to pursue functional studies of interesting structures discovered by the PSI. PSI staff and advisors are considering other ways to make all the information generated by the PSI centers of maximal use to the scientific community.
