The grant of $135,000 is to support the development of high throughput automated analysis of proteins by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis upstream of the facility's mass spectrometric units.  The expansion will extend analytical capabilities of the PNL for analysis of disease biomarkers and collaborations with  ANH investigators for nanotechnology applications.

The IBT-PNL under the direction of Dr. Yongde Luo was recently established with support of the John S. Dunn Research Foundation. The facility is housed within the IBT's Center for Cancer and Stem Cell Biology and supervised by its Director Dr. Wallace L. McKeehan and IBT Director Dr. Robert Schwartz.

The grant was awarded as part of the ANH's program, The Medical NanoVector Research and Development Center of the Alliance for NanoHealth, which is supported by the Department of the Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC).  TATRC supports cutting edge research and technology aimed at soldier healthcare.

The ANH is a Texas Gulf Coast-based consortium of regional institutions including the Texas A&M Health Science Center aimed solely at using nanotechnology to bridge the gaps between medicine, biology, materials science, computer technology and public policy.