The National Institutes of Health have awarded $74,250 to Jonathan Eggenschwiler to investigate the role of the protein Rab23 in the positioning and structure of organs on the left versus the right sides of the mammalian body. Individual organs such as the heart are often positioned on one side of the body, and different structures within these organs, such as the left and right ventricles of the heart, have distinct shapes and functions. Failure to achieve asymmetry results in life-threatening disorders such as congenital heart defects. Eggenschwiler is an assistant professor of genetics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The research is done under NIH project number 7R03HD065092-03.