Takaku Awarded $1.48M R01 Grant

Dr. Motoki Takaku, an Assistant Professor with the Biomedical Sciences Department at the University of NOrth Dakota's School of Medicine & Health Sciences, was awarded an NIH R01 award. This is a 5-year award for a total of 1.48 million dollars.

Dr. Takaku descibes the project, "In our cells, DNA interacts with proteins called histones to create a structure known as chromatin. Proper organization of this chromatin is vital for maintaining genetic information and cellular function. When this organization goes wrong, it can lead to diseases like cancer. This research aims to uncover how chromatin changes during breast cancer cell reprogramming. Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanism of this process, with the hope of finding a new treatment strategy for breast cancer in the future."