The objective of this COBRE application is to develop the careers of promising junior investigators in biomedical aging research and to build programmatic strength in this area. Career development will utilize a strong core of research mentors who will provide career development advice as well as sound practical advice on scientific development and laboratory management. The five projects in this COBRE focus on several complementary themes that contribute to our understanding of aging, from basic genetic and epigenetic contributions through cardiovascular and neurocognitive mechanisms. Three of the projects feature human aging, one focuses on rodent models, and one utilizes cultured cells. All of the projects have a high translational relevance. An internal advisory committee consisting of seasoned scientist/administrators has been appointed. The COBRE leadership is composed of mentors and core senior investigators for this COBRE, and they are strongly committed to the program;these scientists have outstanding research and mentoring records. In addition, a prominent board of external advisors with outstanding research careers and track records of career development for junior scientists will participate in both the guidance and evaluation of the progress of the junior investigators and of the COBRE program itself. Career development will involve a series of program meetings, exposure to didactic grant-writing sessions, and seminars to develop a highly collaborative environment for both the junior faculty, as well as other members of the Tulane Center for Aging. The COBRE also provides a Biostatistics and Genomics Research Core facility for our scientists to make new experimental possibilities available to them and to enhance experimental design and data analysis. The Tulane Center for Aging provides an outstanding interdisciplinary environment for aging research involving eight of the schools at Tulane University. The Center enjoys strong institutional support for its development and growth. This COBRE will represent the centerpiece of the Tulane Center for Aging, and it will contribute strongly to our building of an exceptional biomedical aging research enterprise in Louisiana.
This COBRE will have major impact on the success of a number of our young faculty in obtaining their first NIH ROI funding. This will greatly enhance the research funding base and mentoring pool in Louisiana and especially in the area of biomedical aging research. In addition, the scientific programs and cores described here provide outstanding and highly translational projects aimed at the development of preventive and compensatory measures to enhance the quality of life in an aging population.
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