The proposed Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) Clinical Nutrition Research Unit (CNRU) will facilitate and promote collaborative and multi-disciplinary interactions that will foster new research ideas and enhance the translation of basic nutritional research findings into the clinical arena and ultimately into practical application. Within the chosen theme of """"""""Nutritional Programming: Environmental and Molecular Interactions,"""""""" we will target translational research designed to understand the metabolic and environmental factors underlying nutrition- and obesity-related health problems. The tradition of obesity research at PBRC provides an ideal academic environment to undertake interdisciplinary efforts to investigate the environmental and molecular interactions in early life, which produce epigenetic phenomena resulting in obesity and metabolic syndrome in adulthood. Coupled with the recent Pennington 5-year strategic plan calling for extension of resources (faculty, space, equipment, and support personnel), and an established cadre of outstanding scientists, a Pennington CNRU will catalyze an increase in nutrition research around the targeted theme. The 22 NIH funded nutrition/obesity studies and the 4 approved P/F projects will use 3 CNRU cores. The """"""""Human Phenotyping Core"""""""" will provide services to measure insulin sensitivity, in-situ biochemistry (MRS), skeletal muscle metabolism, energy metabolism and body composition, and to administer physical activity and behavioral interventions. The """"""""Molecular Mechanisms Core"""""""" will provide classical genomics support, develop CpG micro arrays with adequate bioinformatics capacity as well as cell culture and cell imaging technologies. The """"""""Animal Models and Phenotyping Core"""""""" will provide the required animal models including conditional transgenic or knockout animals and state of the art phenotyping. The CNRU will also support 4 P&F studies and an Enrichment Program. With an exceptional institutional support and an ideal academic environment, Pennington has established a strong base of obesity/nutrition research and is now poised to grow in an emerging field of """"""""Nutritional Programming"""""""" through the creation of the CNRU.
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