A group of Northwestern professors have received a $17 million grant for research of genetics, university officials announced Wednesday.

The five-year grant from the National Institute of Health will fund research at the new NIH Neurogenomics Center at NU and complement ongoing research into the human genome.

Joseph Takahashi, the center’s director, said in a statement that the scientists will research the genome of the mouse to better understand the human genome.

“The timing is perfect,” he said. “Our work will be very complementary and synergistic with the information being produced by the Human Genome Project.”

NU professors said in the statement that the grant money eventually could shed light on neurological problems such as Alzheimer’s disease and sleep disorders.

NU’s newly created center is one of just three similar centers in the United States. Although it will be located at NU, the center will operate with assistance from professors at Columbia University, Duke University and the University of Iowa.

Researchers will use mice, which have a similar gene structure to humans, to try to determine which genes are responsible for memory, addiction and anxiety.

University President Henry Bienen said the grant gives the NU professors much needed support for their work. In the last year, NU professors have won several large medical grants to further genetics research, he said.

“We’re making a very big effort in medical genetics,” he said. “I’m really pleased that a lot of our scientists have been recognized.”