The mission of the proposed Cooperative Reproductive Science Research Center (CRSRC) at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is to develop a rich intellectual environment that will promote and strengthen the research capabilities of the MSM investigators in the reproductive sciences. The applicant's ultimate goal is to become a research and training Center of excellence for minority investigators. To achieve this goal, the applicant proposes to develop a partnership between the CRSRC at the MSM and the Specialized Cooperative Center Program of Reproduction Research (SCCPRR) at the University of Pittsburgh. The CRSRC at the MSM will be composed of four Research Projects and an Administrative Core. The central theme of the proposal focuses on Development and Differentiation within the Reproductive Axis with emphasis on non-human primate paradigms. The proposed studies will integrate molecular, cellular and organismic approaches for elucidating physiological mechanisms that govern sexual development, follicular maturation, luteolysis and spermatogenesis. Each Research Project is led by a MSM Principal Investigator who works closely with at least one SCCPRR investigator at Pittsburgh. The experience and expertise of the SCCPRR Director and his colleagues will be employed to assure the successful operation of the CRSRC. The CRSRC will utilize extensively the research resources made available via the partnership. Three Research Projects (I, II, and III) will be subserved by both the Primate and Assay Cores of the Pittsburgh SCCPRR, and three (II, III, and IV) will use the Cell-Imaging Core. The Pittsburgh SCCPRR will benefit from the scientific interaction with individuals at the MSM with similar interests, and from the association with a minority institution that will serve as a conduit for the recruitment of minority students, fellows and residents to Pittsburgh training programs. The partnership will also substantially increase use of the Core facilities at Pittsburgh by projects relevant to the mission of the Reproductive Sciences Branch, NICHD. The proposed research will lead to a better understanding of the causes of disorders of human reproduction and may ultimately result in improved therapeutic approaches to infertility and to development of novel strategies for contraception.
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