The University of Colorado School of Medicine has announced a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation in support of research on the properties of collagen protein production in the human body.

The grant will support the work of Olivia Rissland, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the medical school, which focuses on optimizing the mechanics of how cells develop purpose-built machinery for protein production. The studies of collagen are described as a “test case” to explore the process of “ultra-dedicated” production and better understand how the human body produces other essential proteins, such as insulin.

“You have a manufacturing plant where you’re [making] a lot of one thing, but making high levels of one protein creates pinch points [where the process slows down or stalls],” said Rissland. “Understanding the ripple effect of those slowdowns could offer insight into the causes of disease or the impact of aging.”

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