The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, has invested $16.4 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funds to jump-start a range of research projects that address critical gaps in the basic biomedical and behavioral sciences.

The new two-year awards, which are called Challenge Grants, focus on overcoming specific scientific and technological challenges in areas of interest to NIGMS. These include stem cells, molecular imaging, synthetic biology, drug discovery, green chemistry, behavioral research and research training.

The Recovery Act awards support 19 projects in 12 states, enabling scientists to explore important research questions while stimulating their local economies through job creation, training and purchasing of new equipment.

“The basic research supported by NIGMS lays a foundation for disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention,” said NIGMS Director Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D. “These Challenge Grants, made possible by the Recovery Act, enable us to capitalize on scientific opportunities in a range of our mission areas by speeding progress toward new tools, methods and knowledge.”

Soure: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2009/nigms-19.htm