Hong Qiu, a postdoctoral research associate working under the mentorship of Lianchun Wang at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, received $105,000 from the American Heart Association to decipher the role of a sugar molecule called heparan sulfate in the production of blood cells.
Several studies have shown that heparan sulfate plays a significant role in cell differentiation, proliferation, migration, blood coagulation, lipid metabolism and the trafficking of white blood cells. However, the actual molecular mechanisms that drive these functions in living beings remain largely unknown.
This latest grant will allow Wang’s team to continue its investigation into the role of heparan sulfate, which may one day lead to new therapeutics for a variety of human diseases.