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NCRR and the 2009 Recovery Act
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2007 Institutional Development Awards (IDeA)New Centers of Biomedical Research ExcellenceON THIS PAGE: Listed below are the three new multidisciplinary Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence that have been awarded nearly $11 million each through the IDeA program. IDeA funding augments and strengthens biomedical research capability and enhance research infrastructure in states that have historically received little or no NIH research funding. University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas City, KS Molecular Regulation of Cell Development and Differentiation
Grant No. 1 P20 RR024214-01
Principal Investigator Abstract (provided by applicant):Five years of funding were requested to develop a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) with a focus on the molecular regulation of cell development and differentiation. Five new faculty who share this research interest were selected with the goal of helping them become funded independent investigators. A principal investigator (PI), two co-PIs, an internal advisory committee (IAC), a group of mentoring faculty, and an external advisory committee (EAC) of investigators have been assembled to achieve this goal. The Center is also designed to improve the infrastructure and research environment at KUMC. The expected outcome of the program will be more research productivity as reflected in joint publications, funded R01 grants, and program project and research center grants based on a developmental biology theme. A mentor has been assigned to each initial junior faculty member, and individual mentoring plans and timetables have been developed. Central features of the mentoring plans include ongoing critical evaluation of the research projects by mentors and IAC, semiannual conferences with EAC members, and special training on statistics and manuscript and grant writing in workshops. The initial group will receive support for up to three years. Within this time frame, each member will be expected to compete successfully for NIH R01-type research support. Once funded externally, they will rotate off the grant financially to make room for the addition of new junior faculty, and the Center has firm commitments from Department Chairs/Center Directors who will provide these new faculty. Over five years, the grant will support 10-15 independent researchers. Another important feature is to establish three new scientific core capabilities to provide additional research support for the Center's faculty. Together with the Administrative Core A, there will be cores supporting transgenesis, gene targeting, and genotyping (Core B); molecular profiling and recombineering (Molecular Core C); and high-resolution imaging (Core D). In summary, the combination of scientific talent, existing research environment, requested new core facilities, and substantial institutional commitment ensure that this proposed Center will foster the development of a thematic, multidisciplinary research effort, enhance the ability of new investigators to compete independently for NIH and other extramural support, and strengthen the overall research infrastructure at KUMC. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterOklahoma City, OK Mentoring Diabetes Research in Oklahoma
Grant No. 1 P20 RR024215-01
Principal Investigator Abstract (provided by applicant):Diabetes is an epidemic in the United States and around the world. Oklahoma is among the states with the highest diabetes prevalence. An estimated 10 percent of the population in Oklahoma has diabetes, and among some of our Native Americans communities, the prevalence can be as high as 40 percent. Thus, diabetes represents a major threat to the health of the working population and a social and economic burden in Oklahoma. In 2005, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center identified diabetes research as one of the top two priorities for the University's Research Strategic Plan for the next five years. The state of Oklahoma approved $10.5 million in 2006 as initial funding to establish the Oklahoma Diabetes Center. Native American support for the center has been secured. The major goal of this Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) project is to further expand our current diabetes research program in Oklahoma. This COBRE project will support the following approaches: (1) to mentor promising junior investigators in diabetes research and support them in becoming NIH-funded independent investigators; (2) to establish research infrastructures to support diabetes research; (3) to foster and enhance collaborations between basic scientists and clinicians and facilitate translational research toward the development of new treatments and preventive measures for diabetes; and (4) to improve research and intervention for diabetes in Native Americans by forming partnerships with tribal communities. This center grant will have a great impact on diabetes care and the quality of life of people with diabetes in Oklahoma, especially among minority populations. Rhode Island HospitalProvidence, RI Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for Skeletal Health and Repair
Grant No. 1 P20 RR024484-01
Principal Investigator Abstract (provided by applicant):
Photo: Physicians, scientists, and engineers at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Albert Medical School of Brown University are establishing a multidisciplinary Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Skeletal Health and Repair to develop treatment strategies for bone and joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. Pictured is Dr. Qian Chen, director of the COBRE at Rhode Island Hospital. (Photo courtesy of Lifespan/Robin Dunn Blossom) - Download Hi-Res (4.3MB JPG) Photo |
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bethesda, Maryland 20892 |
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Department of Health and Human Services |
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The goal of the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) is to establish a multidisciplinary translational research center, focusing on cartilage and joint health, disease mechanisms, and development of repair strategy. The projects encompass clinical, biological, and engineering research fields. Projects 1 and 2 analyze how long bones are built up during skeletal development. Projects 3 and 4 examine how joint cartilage degenerates in adult joint diseases. Project 5 studies how to repair and re-build healthy cartilage joints. The investigators and mentors are selected from five departments in Rhode Island Hospital/Brown Medical School (orthopaedics, pediatrics, emergency medicine, medicine, and bioengineering). The junior investigators include three clinician/scientists and two basic research scientists. The mentors also include both clinician/scientists and basic research scientists. Each mentor is a principal investigator of multiple Federal grants (NIH RO1 or VA). They will supervise junior investigators' research projects, serve as their role models, and mentor them to obtain Federal research project grants. By establishing this research infrastructure, the COBRE will enable clinicians to work side-by-side with basic research scientists, junior investigators with senior investigators, and biologists with bioengineers. This multidisciplinary approach is absolutely necessary to develop translational strategies for prevention and treatment of skeletal joint diseases.
