The Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research proposes to recruit a newly-independent neuroscientist to expand and enhance its research efforts around the theme of Axonal Degeneration and Regeneration. Founded in 2006, the Jungers Center is a new and evolving disease-oriented research center being jointly developed by the Department of Neurology and Vollum Institute at Oregon Health &Science University (OHSU). The overall mission of the Jungers Center is to promote disease-oriented basic neuroscience research and thereby serve as a bridge between the robust clinical research programs in the Department of Neurology and the outstanding molecular and cellular basic neuroscience research laboratories in the Vollum Institute. The Center has 7,500 square feet of contiguous, open-design laboratory space in the new Biomedical Research Building on the main OHSU campus. We have used a generous gift from a local philanthropist to recruit faculty for the Center and equip an outstanding light microscopic imaging facility. The Center's initial three faculty members have basic science expertise in cell biology and live-cell imaging, protein and lipid biochemistry, and oligodendrocyte/myelin biology - each with a particular focus related to axonal degeneration and regeneration in mammalian systems. With funds provided by the PSO award, we would recruit a newly-independent neuroscientist for a full-time research position with a tenure-track equivalent appointment and substantial long term salary support... This new faculty member would bring complementary expertise to the Jungers Centers in the area of Invertebrate Genetic Model Systems of Axonal Degeneration and Regeneration. While we have new laboratory space and resources for long term salary support for the proposed new faculty member, we lack the resources for initial start-up costs. Recruiting an outstanding basic neuroscientist that uses advanced genetic techniques to investigate axonal degeneration and regeneration in an invertebrate model system, such as Drosophila or C. elegans. Would synergize with the current faculty and create a critical mass of scientists focused on understanding the genetic and molecular pathways of axonal degeneration and regeneration.
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