Kalina Hristova, INBT core faculty member and professor of materials science and engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering, was awarded a 4-year grant from the National Science Foundation to continue her research on protein receptor interactions in cell membranes.

The grant will help the Hristova lab to create and refine standard practices for studying these complex, but poorly understood interactions. It will also support outreach activities to engage more women and underrepresented minority high school students in STEM topics, and educate local Baltimore teachers on how to incorporate STEM topics in their classrooms.

“The support from this grant will help Dr. Hristova better understand how miscommunications between cells causes disease to spread. This research provides an incredible amount of valuable information for scientists and physicians studying disease development, progression, and treatments,” said Sharon Gerecht, director of INBT, Kent Gordon Croft Investment Management Faculty Scholar, and professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.