The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) proposes to enhance basic and translational research on pathobiological problems prevalent in the Hispanic-majority population along the United States border with Mexico. Specifically, UTEP seeks to increase the productivity and capacity of its Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC) to promote new discoveries and apply them to benefit the health of this region and the nation as a whole. To accomplish this objective, the institution has assigned priority for research in (1) infectious diseases, (2) toxicology, and (3) neuroscience and metabolic disorders, major research thrusts of the BBRC, and has taken supportive steps. The BBRC's research team has been expanded with faculty acquisitions in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and the College of Health Sciences. Commitments of support have been obtained from external research centers, such as the national laboratories at the University of Texas in Galveston. A new Biosciences research facility has been built on campus to house BBRC Core labs in Cell Culture and High Throughput Screening, DNA Analysis, Analytical Cytology, Biomolecule Anlaysis, and Statistical Consulting and Bioinformatics. These Core resources and new physical plant are being used to attract additional talent that will contribute to the biomedical and behavioral research of the Center and more effectively promote discoveries with near term utility. The developing scientific competitiveness of BBRC investigators is evident in an increased number of R01 grants funded, from 0 to 5, in the last two years alone. The BBRC is providing a strong research infrastructure for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral training. Thus, through this key RCMI-supported program, UTEP is realizing an institutional goal of serving as a major point of entry for underrepresented minorities into the biomedical research mainstream of the nation. As partial evidence of progress in this area, UTEP has obtained a highly competitive extramural grant to train undergraduates in biological research and increased its Ph.D. graduates in biology from 0 to 9 in this past RCMI funding cycle. Through significant RCMI support and a strong institutional commitment to the BBRC, and through the productivity and collaborations of this Center, UTEP has unambiguously established itself as a leading regional research entity and is gaining national and international recognition for its biomedical research and training resources and capabilities.
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