The study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which acute or chronic ethanol exposure affects tissue function is fundamental for understanding the basis of alcohol-related disorders. Alcohol researchers at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) in collaboration with investigators at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in Newark, NJ, the University of Delaware (UD) in Newark, DE, and the University of Louisville (UL), in Louisville, KY, are engaged in a large number of research programs to explore such relationships. These research programs are supported by a variety of research and training grants, many of which are supported through NIAAA. A total of 26 individual grants in the area of alcohol research are currently active, and eight more are pending or under revision from investigators at TJU and their collaborators at UMDNJ, UD and UL. These research programs have benefited greatly from the availability of centralized research support facilities that give investigators access to highly specialized tools and techniques, combined with the necessary expertise to facilitate their application to alcohol research. In addition, these facilities greatly enhance the opportunities for the development of new techniques and promote their application to alcohol research. This R24 application is being submitted to request continued funding for these support facilities. The research support facilities include an animal resources facility, a microscopic imaging and electron microscopy facility, and a core facility for functional genomics, proteomics and computational biology. Central maintenance of these facilities enhances the utilization of equipment, providing greater efficiency and improving the maintenance of delicate machinery. The availability of these facilities also encourages new application of sophisticated techniques. It permits investigators to use equipment with which they are not intimately familiar and provides assistance in the design of experiments and the interpretation of data. The combination of expertise and facilities at the participating institutions will greatly enhance the opportunities for synergy and collaboration and give incentives to stimulate new directions in alcohol research, both regionally and nationally.
