CELL MATES

摘要

Collaborations are more integral to the life sciences than ever — and f unders are trying to keep pace. Jacqueline Ruttimann reports. Gaudenz Danuser is an associate professor at the Scripps Research Institutes cell-biology department in La Jolla, California. But he is not a cell biologist — Danuser was formally trained as an engineer. In the past, when he jointly applied for funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study mathematical modelling of cellular processes via the agency's standard R01 grant, Danuser would have to come to an agreement with his cell-biologist collaborator, as only one could lead the grant. But a new programme at the NIH has made his task easier and potentially more professionally rewarding. The NIH has set up a multiple principal investigator (PI) grant, which means that Danuser can get official recognition for his efforts. Previously, he says, "I was at the mercy of my friends to give me the money."