The University of Wyoming Sensory Biology Center (SBC) recently received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to enhance the research capacity in the field of sensory biology such as hearing, visual, olfactory, touch and taste.
SBC applied for the grant three years ago and received it on September 2017. The grant was funded by NIH’s program named Institutional Development Award (IDeA), which supports enhancement of the research activity, as well as competitiveness of the research capacities of institutions in 23 states.
SBC’s goal is to encourage and perform high-quality scientific research that helps in understanding of human sensory systems–especially olfactory–and disorders related to them.
SBC is planning to use various animals to understand the human brain and sensory receptors for their research. They prefer to carry out research in such a way, so that it doesn’t violate the federal policies and also follows the animal protocol provided by the UW Community. SBC is planning to use mice because they have a 99.9% similarity to human genome and totally depend on olfactory sense for their living.
“We still don’t know how our brain processes olfactory… it is one of the most under studied senses,” UW’s Department of Zoology professor, Qian-Quan Sun, said. “Olfactory is not only least studied but also a unique part.”
In 2004 Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck received The Nobel Prize in Physiology for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system, whereas the other sensory receptors anatomy were discovered in the early and mid ‘90s.
“People think sensory biology is limited… but it is much more than that. Every specific part of the brain requires the use of sensory system,” Sun said.
With the help of grant funds, SBC also plans to hire 10 UW graduate students and five full-time support staff per year.
“It’s a great opportunity for us [undergraduates] to be a part of something big… especially when the field is least studied or least discovered,” UW sophomore student, Betty Boettcher, said.
Along with it, Sun hopes to involve more undergraduate students to connect with sensory biology and compete in the national level.
“Brain and sensory organs together make a complex combination and Sensory Biology Center is taking a step to solve that complexity,” UW Psychology major, Issac Nolan, said.
