Administrative Core. The objective of the proposed Center for Pre-Clinical Cancer Research (Cancer COBRE) at Louisiana State University (LSU) is to elucidate molecular and cellular mechanisms of human cancer using specialized disease models that are predictive of disease in humans. The Administrative Core (AC) will oversee overall administrative management of the Cancer COBRE to ensure successful implementation and to provide the Promising Junior Investigators (PJIs) with essential support to achieve their research and career goals. The Cancer COBRE is headquartered at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (LSU SVM) but also will oversee projects and facilities located in the main LSU campus within walking distance to LSU SVM. SVM trains both future veterinarians and biomedical scientists and offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical and Veterinary Medical Sciences, thus the COBRE will greatly enhance the research training of future scientists. The overall objectives of the AC is to provide cohesive management and coordination of COBRE activities, to promote a strong mentoring environment, and to provide a centralized infrastructure and management that will provide specialized pre- clinical evaluation and technology to support PJI achievement and research independence. The following specific aims will be pursued:
Aim 1. To promote the academic success and research independence of PJIs through a dynamic and comprehensive mentoring program.
Aim 2. To provide fiscal oversight and administrative support for the COBRE projects and scientific cores.
Aim 3. To promote a research environment that will advance scientific discovery and foster collaborative research opportunities between the Cancer COBRE and the scientific community at LSU and in Louisiana.
