The Skin Diseases Research Center (SDRC), based at Case Western Reserve University (Case) and University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC), brings added value to investigators at all the Northeast Ohio academic medical centers through its strength of focus on uniting basic and translational skin science. This successfully resulted in new diagnostics and Phase I SDRC-investigator initiated clinical trials, and there is tremendous current energy, growth, momentum, and interdisciplinary foment among the members, comprised of 86 investigators from 31 Departments, 4 schools, and 10 institutions. A major goal of the SDRC is to fuel the projects of new and experienced investigators with a rich matrix of resources in order to speed the progress and enhance the quality of skin diseases research. Proactive interactions with Pi's help focus the trajectory of our basic skin research toward translation into beneficial changes in the practice of medicine. The Case SDRC coordinates user-friendly access to state-of-the-art Core services as well as expertise in skin research techniques and their marriage to advanced institutional research resources. The Cores, together with the Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Study and Administrative Core Programs 1) actively recruit talent to work on skin diseases, 2) promote career development of those with a skin-centered emphasis in their research, 3) advocate institutionally for applying new basic findings and technologies to skin disease applications, 4) foster communication between the members and the greater scientific and medical communities, 5) organize lecture series, symposia, retreats, and Thematic Area Working Groups, and 6) promulgate the Skinergy newsletter, the Web site, and Resident Research and Minority Student Research Programs. The P&F Study applications undergo a rigorous NIH-style of multi-level peer review. They represent a diverse array of research interests within the four Thematic Area Working Groups of the SDRC: (1) Immunology &Inflammation, (2) Photobiology &Photomedicine, (3) Infectious Disease &Host Defense, and (4) Epithelial Biology &Wound Healing. The Cores provide quality services and advanced technologies such as proteomics and imaging, ranging from basic science to clinical: A) Morphology, B) Cell Culture and Molecular Technology, C) Translational Research.and D) Animal Experimentation. This priming of research pathways greatly enhances the value and efficiency of each skin disease-related research grant.
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