Research at the Center for Human Nutrition is funded by grants from government, university and private sources. A major five-year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a primary source of research funding. The grant, in its second year, is large by NIH standards.

"NIH provides major funding to institutes or entire programs," explains Dr. Scott Grundy, center director. "Sizable individual grants are awarded for investigator-initiated projects. These go to senior investigators at well-established programs. Our grant is one of the larger grants in this category."

Although the Center for Human Nutrition depends on local private sources for "startup" studies, it must turn to the government for long-term projects. According to Dr. Grundy, "An NIH grant represents a long-term investment in the study of a particular problem."

The problem being investigated at the Center with NIH funds is the metabolism of the proteins that cause high cholesterol in the blood. In collaboration with Dr. David Bilheimer, head of the Lipid Metabolism Unit and associate dean for clinical affairs at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dr. Grundy is studying the factors controlling the production of the B protein, the major cholesterol-carrying protein in the blood.

Scientists believe there are two possible causes for high blood cholesterol. One cause, investigated in the Center's mevinolin studies (see related article in this newsletter), is the lack of LDL receptors to help remove cholesterol from the bloodstream. The second possible cause is the liver's overproduction of B protein, a major component of LDL.

Abnormalities in the production of B protein have been found in some forms of high triglycerides, obesity and high cholesterol. Some abnormalities are not apparent until patients suffer early heart attacks.

Studies with the drug mevinolin have shown that many patients with high cholesterol have a problem with underproduction of LDL receptors. But Dr. Grundy believes that a significant number of patients with heart disease have a B protein production problem. "We have to approach the problem form both sides to get a complete picture," he says.