Congratulations to Dr. Jan Christian for the receipt of two extramural NIH research grants from NIDDK and NICHD. The NIDDK grant entitled “Bone Morphorgenetic Protein Ligands in Hepcidin Regulation” is a multi-PI grant with Dr. Jodie Babbitt at Harvard University. Drs. Christian and Babbitt will focus their studies on BMP2 and BMP6 as a central regulator of the transcription of hepcidin which modulates iron absorption. Dr. Christian’s second NIH grant award from NICHD is focused on the ability of various BMP proteins to form functional heterodimers. She will explore the role of prodomains in BMPs in guiding formation of homo- vs. hetero-dimer formation which modulates signaling activity.