Dr. James Kushner, M.M. Wintrobe Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology, recently received a $4 million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health to coordinate a Center of Excellence in Molecular Hematology (CEMH). This award, which funds 17 investigators from the University of Utah and five other institutions, focuses on iron, copper and zinc and on the biosynthesis of porphyrins and heme in normal and disease states. The CEMH takes advantage of Utah’s strengths in genetic analysis, metal physiology, and a large accessible patient population.

Research in metal metabolism emphasizes the genetic and biochemical regulation of metals, including homeostasis, uptake, transport and cellular distribution. Research in porphyria and heme biosynthesis extends from structural studies of porphyrin biosynthetic enzymes to animal models of human porphyria. Both areas of investigation utilize Utah’s large pedigrees with inherited iron overload disorders and inherited disorders of porphyrin metabolism.

The CEMH will support four Cores that will facilitate research on metals and heme. These cores include Protein Purification, Metabolomics, Crystallography and an Administration Core. The Metabolomics Core is expected to become a national reference center for studies on metals and heme. The CEMH will also support pilot projects directed both at translational research and at identification of genes that affect metal uptake, transport and distribution.