The grant, totaling $173,000, will fund the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment to measure metabolism by tissues, cells, and mitochondria, the so-called “powerhouse of the cell.” The equipment will support research by this group of faculty on a variety of topics, including the relationship between cellular and whole-animal metabolism in lower vertebrates, the genetics of cellular metabolism in yeast and the relationship between mitochondrial metabolism and neurological and behavioral disorders in mammals.

The equipment will also be available for measurements of cellular metabolism and energetics by other researchers at UNO or other institutions in the Greater New Orleans area. As part of the grant, a senior undergraduate/graduate level course will be developed on mitochondrial physiology. This course will be offered for the first time in the spring semester of 2023 and will provide advanced instruction on an important and dynamic area in biology and biomedicine.