? This application requests support for major renovations of sub-standard research laboratory space in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery located in the basement, first and second floors of the Medical Laboratories facility at the University of Iowa. The long-term goals of these Programs in Immunoregulation of Inflammation in Digestive Diseases (IIDD), Vascular Biology (VB) and Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) are to facilitate research in these areas and to enhance the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in each respective subject and related research areas. The Specific Goals of the Program are to: 1) generate state-of-the-art research laboratories on three floors of the Medical Laboratory Building (MLB) for new and established faculty investigators who will participate in these Programs; 2) facilitate scientific interactions among faculty investigators and their research groups, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and undergraduates, by the close proximity of these laboratories; 3) provide opportunities for research interactions and collaborations among both the occupants of the renovated space and the participants in these Programs from other Departments; and 4) develop a research environment that fosters the mentoring of new junior faculty members and minority scientists by outstanding senior faculty of these Programs. The overall objective of this renovation project is to create an excellent, interactive research environment for the programs in IIDD, VB and CMB that enhances the research productivity and career development of all the participants in these Programs. ? ?
