Maine INBRE Project Leader Emily Spaulding Awarded $2.3 Million NIH Grant
Emily Spaulding, Ph.D., a Maine INBRE project leader and assistant professor at the MDI Biological Laboratory, has received a $2.3 million, five-year Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institutes of Health. The grant will support her research on how cells organize the nucleolus, a key internal structure responsible for producing ribosomes, the molecular machinery that enables protein synthesis and overall cellular function.
Disruptions in nucleolar organization have been linked to a range of diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, yet many of the biological mechanisms that govern this structure remain poorly understood. Spaulding’s research seeks to address these questions by examining how nucleolar organization varies across tissues and by using model organisms that enable scientists to observe cellular processes in living systems.
Support from Maine INBRE has played an important role in helping Spaulding establish her research program, acquire specialized equipment, and train early-career researchers. The new NIH funding will provide long-term stability as her lab continues investigating how cellular organization influences health and disease outcomes.