James McNew, Rice University (IMAGE) Rice University Caption Rice University biochemist James McNew took a risk and changed his lab's model organism from yeast to fruit flies to study a key protein that's been linked to hereditary spastic paraplegia. The gamble paid off with a new grant from the National Institutes of Health. Credit Rice University/Jeff Fitlow Usage Restrictions Credit required License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.