Eighteen NEI-supported principal investigators and their collaborators from Duke University (Duke), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and North Carolina State University (NCSU) quest continuing support for a Core Grant for Vision Research. These investigators are from Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurobiology, Pathology, Medicine, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Radiation Oncology. Research interests of the group range from mapping disease genes to finding effective therapy for specific eye disorders and from basic mechanisms of neural development to functional organization of the visual cortex. Over the past 15 years, we have used the Core Grant support to develop and update our resource modules, thus enhancing the capabilities of individual investigators and our institutions to conduct vision research. Our Core Grant program affords an infrastructure capable of providing a broad range of technical support and an atmosphere conducive to sharing current techniques; both are critical to the successful research of the individual investigators. Furthermore, the same infrastructure facilitates the participation of clinical ophthalmologists at Duke and thus supports and enhances studies that aim at translating the discoveries from basic research into new diagnostic and therapeutic applications to eye diseases. Hence, our Core Grant program increases productivity of research on vision and its disorders by promoting and strengthening ongoing interactions between NEI-funded investigators and stimulating new interdisciplinary research. In addition to providing shared support for the NEI-funded investigators and to facilitate collaborative studies with other investigators, the Core Grant program also attracts non-NEI funding for vision research. These research activities are conforming to the NEI National Research Plan, thereby furthering the mission of the NEI. We request continuing support for three resource modules: Morphology/Image Processing Module, Molecular Biology/Genetics Module, and Animal Surgery Module. Continued support of these shared resources is vital to enhancing the quality and productivity of vision research at our universities.
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