Congratulations to Paul Herman, who was awarded a four-year NIH grant entitled "An analysis of the regulation and functions of a novel family of membraneless organelles in eukaryotic cells".This award aims to develop a better understanding of two novel RNA-protein granules that have been linked to the pathology of particular neurodegenerative diseases, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2). These two structures, the Processing-body and stress granule, are part of a growing family of organelles that lack a surrounding membrane but are essential for eukaryotic cell growth and survival.  The proposed experiments will examine potential roles for these membraneless organelles in cell signaling and the control of protein folding during specific periods of environmental stress.