INBRE Awards – October 2009

NCRR's IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) promote the development, coordination, and sharing of research resources and expertise that will expand the research opportunities and increase the number of competitive investigators in the IDeA-eligible states.

Supported by NCRR's Division of Research Infrastructure (DRI), INBRE are intended to enhance the caliber of scientific faculty at research institutions and undergraduate schools, thereby attracting more promising students to these organizations.

Marshall University Research Corporation

Huntington, WV

West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
Gary O. Rankin, Ph.D.
E-mail: rankin@marshall.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

Marshall University (MU), in partnership with West Virginia University (WVU), received an INBRE award to help develop biomedical research at West Virginia's primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) and to enhance the pipeline of students from these PUIs entering the biomedical research field. WV-INBRE will build on its previous successes to investigate several health issues, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and issues related to drug biotransformation and infectious diseases. To this end, MU and WVU will serve as lead institutions of a research network consisting of 11 PUIs, which comprise the heart of the West Virginia research community. The multidisciplinary research theme for the network will be cellular and molecular biology with an emphasis on cardiovascular disease and cancer. Some PUIs will house major research projects, whereas others will receive faculty research development awards for promising junior investigators or biomedical researchers. The successful community-based participatory research project Appalachian Cardiovascular Research Network (ACoRN) will be expanded. In addition, WV-INBRE will strengthen its ties to West Virginia COBREs and initiate interactions with West Virginia's Health Science Technology Academy program. It also will provide research opportunities for undergraduates that will encourage them to pursue health-related research careers. Other programs and support for PUI biomedical research investigators without major projects will strengthen their biomedical research potential. In addition, through providing workshops, seminars, research training and mentoring, and access to state-of-the-art core facilities, WV-INBRE will enhance the science and technology knowledge base of the West Virginia workforce.

Montana State University

Bozeman, MT

Montana IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
Allen Harmsen, Ph.D.
E-mail: aharmsen@montana.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

MT-INBRE established a multidisciplinary, statewide network aimed at making Montana a national leader in research on the causes and effects of infectious diseases and on health issues related to the environment. The network also is developing a workforce to meet future biomedical research and economic development challenges. Over the past four years, MT-INBRE created new biomedical research cultures at four of the state's baccalaureate institutions, established unique research and educational programs, built strong relationships with Montana's seven tribal colleges and supported a student pipeline that will sustain biomedical research in the state. The second five-year grant for the MT-INBRE II will build on these successes to further develop the Montana network and student pipeline; increase scientific and technical knowledge in the state's workforce; develop community-based health research on Montana's tribal reservations to improve health in Native American communities; and use the network to address the problems Montana faces in infectious diseases, environmental health and health disparities. MT- INBRE II will help investigators from baccalaureate and research universities address these problems and will build expertise and capabilities at the tribal colleges by supporting community-based participatory research that addresses health disparities. MT- INBRE II's long-term goal is to use its network to strengthen ties between tribal colleges and tribes and to make tribal colleges a conduit for tribal health research on reservations. MT-INBRE II will continue to build a statewide network of diverse investigators from research-intensive universities, teaching colleges, tribal colleges and reservations to address the health problems of Montana.

Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory

Salisbury Cove, ME

Comparative Functional Genomics INBRE in Maine

Principal Investigator
Patricia H. Hand, Ph.D.
E-mail: phand@mdibl.org

Description (provided by grantee):

ME-INBRE comprises research, graduate and undergraduate institutions as well as a community college. It will serve as a pipeline for students and faculty to pursue health research careers and will enhance institutional development and scientific knowledge. With the expertise, strengths and resources of its research institutions and the commitment of all its institutions to building research capacity in Maine, ME-INBRE is uniquely positioned to use comparative functional genomics to study the properties and function of genes from diverse species and to use this topic as the scientific focus for institutional development, research training and career development. Research and training in comparative functional genomics will lead to a better understanding of mechanisms that control expression of genes with significant roles in physiology, pharmacology, development, regeneration and disease resistance and treatment. The first ME-INBRE grant has had an unprecedented impact in Maine by creating a new baseline of excellence in biomedical research and training, which has enhanced the career development of investigators, substantially increased undergraduate student interest and accomplishments in science and health-related careers, and improved research infrastructure. ME-INBRE has created a stable and effective organizational structure, and it will build on this structure to: 1) increase the number of ME-INBRE undergraduate institutions and include one college from Maine's community college system; 2) establish eight new investigator research projects; 3) expand support for graduate students; 4) create an outreach program for high school students; and 5) significantly expand state, regional and national collaborations.

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

Kentucky IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
Nigel G. Cooper, Ph.D.
E-mail: nigelcooper@louisville.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

The KY-INBRE's mission is to build infrastructure and capacity for biomedical and health-related research and training and for bioinformatics. To this end, it is continuing the development of its collaborative network, which will build research and training programs in the biomedical and health sciences, particularly in genomics and neuroscience, and establish bioinformatics programs. These efforts will lead to improved career development for Kentucky's undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and young faculty investigators. The KY-INBRE will expand its competitive research component, which is critical to its training and career development activities. This will include support for postdoctoral fellows and research associates, program support for new research investigators and the initiation of new developmental research projects. The KY-INBRE will support bioinformatics projects with the potential for development as competitive independent or collaborative proposals. To enhance career development for faculty, postdoctoral fellows and prospective researchers, a mentoring team will provide workshops on grant writing and disseminate materials related to best practices. The KY-INBRE will continue to support its centralized microarray facility, which is essential to the development of genomics-based research projects, and develop initiatives to support its growing proteomics research base. It also will establish a community-based participatory research core, which will establish Web-accessible de-identified electronic health records for health care organizations in rural Kentucky. The health information gained will be used to inform development of undergraduate and graduate curriculum content and biomedical research goals. The infrastructure also will enable patients to indicate their interest in participating in clinical research trials.

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

North Dakota INBRE: Health and the Environment

Principal Investigator
Donald A. Sens, Ph.D.
E-mail: dsens@medicine.nodak.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

ND-INBRE has established an undergraduate research culture in the state's primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), providing a research experience in science to any qualified undergraduate. Furthermore, the PUIs have developed a culture capable of sustaining and enhancing these INBRE-sponsored undergraduate research programs, which offer yearlong participation in undergraduate research. ND-INBRE has advanced these efforts into the Native American community by establishing a genetics-based, undergraduate-driven research program on preeclampsia at Turtle Mountain Community College. Native American faculty recently developed an introduction to research course for the Cankdeska Cikana Community College, and ND-INBRE has taken the lead in funding and stabilizing the K-12 portion of the Indians into Medicine Program (INMED), which produces more than 25 percent of the nation's Native American physicians. Evidence suggests that the ND-INBRE has affected the pipeline of undergraduates entering biomedical research. In the coming year, ND-INBRE will develop bioinformatics beyond wire and library resources. ND-INBRE's aims are to: 1) support and enhance undergraduate research programs; 2) support and expand efforts to engage Native American students in undergraduate research; 3) support the INMED Summer Academy and Pathways Program; 4) support a previously established proteomics core facility and development of a meta analysis core, and to initiate a cutting-edge bioinformatics program; 5) establish a community-based participatory research core; and 6) develop a network that encourages scientific and professional interactions among the partners and enhances the pipeline of students entering biomedical and behavioral research.

University of Puerto Rico

San Juan, PR

Advancing Competitive Biomedical Research in Puerto Rico

Principal Investigator
Fernando A. Gonzalez, Ph.D.
E-mail: fgonzal@hpcf.upr.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

The Puerto Rico Alliance for the Advancement of Biomedical Research Excellence (PRAABRE) will strengthen Puerto Rico's biomedical research capacity, productivity and competitiveness. It will build on its established biomedical research network of 16 institutions with a scientific focus on neuroscience, molecular medicine and drug design, and it will be a pipeline for students throughout their scientific careers thereby contributing to the development of a knowledge-based economy in Puerto Rico. This progress will be achieved through a strong, cohesive structure that integrates common scientific and educational interests, collaborations and a new mentoring initiative aimed at equipping scientists from primarily undergraduate institutions in grantsmanship tools. PRAABRE's administrative core will work with an external advisory committee and an independent evaluator to organize the program's evaluation process. The mentoring initiative will standardize mentoring practices among participating institutions and coordinate yearly grantsmanship workshops. The bioinformatics core will foster the development of bioinformatics research, collaborations and consulting services; maintain high-performance Internet-2 network capabilities at participating institutions; and coordinate the initiative for providing access to electronic information for biomedical research. The scientific network will host 11 INBRE-sponsored research projects. The centralized research and instrumentation core will integrate facilities established at two University of Puerto Rico campuses by prior Biomedical Research Informatics Network and INBRE cycles, a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, and a Research Center in Minority Institutions program. The science and technology competence and education core will coordinate seminars, technology transfer awards, faculty internships, continued education and technology competence workshops and a K-12 initiative called Science-on-Wheels. It also will help coordinate summer internships in a Kentucky INBRE for PRAABRE students. The collaboration among PRAABRE's distinct cores makes its efforts a true networking of ideas, education and biomedical research in Puerto Rico.

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, RI

RI Network for Excellence in Biomedical and Behavioral Research

Principal Investigator
Zahir A. Shaikh, Ph.D.
E-mail: zshaikh@uri.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

The next phase of the RI-INBRE will enhance institutional capacity for biomedical and behavioral research in Rhode Island. Projects will focus on a variety of health-related issues, including cancer, neurological diseases, drug metabolism, infectious diseases, tissue regeneration and the effects of environmental toxins on human health. The University of Rhode Island (URI) is the lead institution, and six partner institutions form the network. The administrative, bioinformatics and centralized equipment facility cores at URI will coordinate the four central goals of the next phase: 1) continue and improve faculty development and mentoring, 2) recruit and train undergraduate and graduate fellows, 3) provide access to state-of-the-art equipment and bioinformatics resources, and 4) develop new initiatives and collaborations with other Rhode Island infrastructure development programs. At least 20 faculty investigators in the network will collaborate on research and educational objectives in molecular toxicology, cell biology and behavioral science. New faculty development programs include research-based collaborative projects and education-based student training initiatives. A new emphasis in bioinformatics, strengthened by increased material and personnel support, will improve the data mining and processing capabilities of biomedical scientists in the state. RI-INBRE will continue its summer undergraduate research fellowship program, which provides training in biomedical research methods and career counseling. A new high school outreach program will provide hands-on research experience for area high school science teachers. Meeting these and other proposed objectives in the next phase of the RI-INBRE program will have a profound and measurable positive impact on the culture for biomedical and behavioral research and education in Rhode Island.

Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

South Dakota Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network

Principal Investigator
Barbara E. Goodman, Ph.D.
E-mail: barb.goodman@usd.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

The second phase of SD-INBRE evolved from insights gained and enhancements made during the first phase. The South Dakota Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (SD-BRIN) developed a statewide interdisciplinary network infrastructure for biomedical research by partnering with predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs) and by funding core resources. This robust, collaborative network will enhance basic biomedical research capabilities in cell biology and control of cell growth. This vision emphasizes proteomics and genomics at the host institution and PUI partners. SD-INBRE also is helping faculty and students throughout South Dakota plan and conduct biomedical research. Goals for the second phase of SD-BRIN are to develop South Dakota's research capacity in cell biology and the control of cell growth, develop human resources for undergraduate and graduate programs in the biomedical sciences and bioinformatics, and instill a culture of research and provide a pipeline for students interested in biomedical research. It will accomplish these goals by: 1) enhancing research capacity in proteomics and genomics via mentoring of junior faculty members; 2) maintaining proteomics, genomics, bioinformatics, and DNA sequencing and genotyping core facilities for investigators throughout South Dakota and other IDeA states; 3) providing graduate training and research support in basic biomedical sciences and bioinformatics; 4) providing research support and mentoring for junior investigators and faculty from participating institutions; 5) providing opportunities for cutting-edge scientific research for students at participating institutions; 6) introducing undergraduates to graduate programs and careers in biomedical sciences and bioinformatics; and 7) enhancing science education and research capabilities at tribal colleges, providing opportunities for further education and careers in science.

University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY

Wyoming IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
Jun Ren, M.D., Ph.D.
E-mail: jren@uwyo.edu

Description (provided by grantee):

WY-INBRE will enhance biomedical research and education opportunities in Wyoming. In addition to creating unique opportunities for faculty and students in biomedical research, the WY-INBRE will develop a "pipeline" of students who will join the next generation of biomedical scientists, health care specialists and biotechnology industry employees. The WY-INBRE will pursue its long-term goal to establish a statewide network for biomedical research excellence. With recent hires and a university commitment to support more hires during the next five years, the WY-INBRE is acquiring a critical mass of biomedical research faculty needed to develop sustainable, competitive research programs. Efforts will continue to provide opportunities for undergraduates to participate in hands-on biomedical research. The administrative, bioinformatics, and outreach cores developed during the first WY-INBRE grant will be retained, and the outreach core will be expanded because of its success and importance to the statewide network. Two thematic research areas have been identified based on existing strengths: 1) cardiovascular disease, and 2) obesity and diabetes. These two areas are among the leading causes of morbidity, mortality and high health care costs in the United States. Partnerships between faculty at the University of Wyoming and community colleges will provide role models to build links to other institutions and will help move research forward by increasing the quality and visibility of research performed in Wyoming. In addition, a joint effort among participants in the western regional IDeA programs will expand the Wyoming research network across the region.