This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The overall goal of this competitive continuation INBRE application is to facilitate the growth of biomedical research activities throughout the State of Louisiana. Previous funding enabled the Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (LBRN), to establish a strong foundation for interdisciplinary and interinstitutional research, education, training and mentoring programs. In the current application, increased emphasis has been placed on developing biomedical research within predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUI). The LBRN programs are poised to increase the biomedical workforce within the state and create a pipeline of needed future research scientists. In this regard, the LBRN program clearly meets the four objectives noted in the new Funding Opportunity Announcement and will: 1. continue to build biomedical research capacity;2. build a research base;3. provide research opportunities for a wide range of undergraduate students, and 4. enhance the science and technology knowledge base of the State's workforce. Significant changes have been made to improve the overall LBRN program. Briefly these include;the formation of more specific thematic areas, the clarification of CORE functions and structure to include existing COBREs, the expansion of the network of PUIs to include Xavier University of Louisiana, the expansion of participation by biomedical-research intensive institutions to include the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC), the Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) and the Louisiana State University Health Science Center at Shreveport (LSUHSC-S). Moreover, the Louisiana Board of Regents (La BoR) has agreed to provide a match of over $1million to the new application for support of undergraduate biomedical research. The major objective of this renewal INBRE application, to improve the competitiveness of biomedical research in Louisiana, will be accomplished through the following specific aims.
Specific Aim I : Maintain and expand the previously established state-wide infrastructure and intellectual research network supporting interdisciplinary biomedical research.
This aim will be accomplished by continuing to support the physical cyber infrastructural components of the primary LBRN PUI network of Southern University, Baton Rouge (SU), University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), Louisiana Tech University (LA Tech) in Ruston and LSU Shreveport (LSU-S) in Shreveport, Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) and the expanded number of major biomedical research centers and COBREs within Louisiana. These institutions and the PUIs will be intellectually linked by workshops, works in progress, thematic discussion groups and seminars organized directly by LBRN and other major biomedical research centers and COBREs Specific Aim II: Expand and improve the critical mass of biomedical investigators at primary PUI campuses through the support of mentored research, and enhanced communication. Specific research projects and smaller pilot projects have been selected on the basis of scientific merit and their strong fit with the mission, goals, and plans of the participating PUIs. The projects will be organized around three thematic areas. These are 1. Computational and Structural Biology (CSB), 2. Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (MMD), and 3.Therapeutics and Preventive Medicine (TPM).
Specific Aim III : Increase student interest in biomedical research careers throughout Louisiana by providing summer research opportunities to all institutions within the State. Research opportunities for an increasingly diverse pool of both graduate and undergraduate students and faculty will be supported through collaborative outreach activities Specific Aim IV: Evaluate, assess and continuously monitor the progress within LBRN through detailed tracking of research accomplishments, the development of human resources, and productive collaborations among participating institutions. All individual research projects will be evaluated for their progress toward publications, presentations, and competitively-funded proposals twice per year. In addition, the measurable, quantitative increases in the critical mass, diversity, and expertise of investigators, junior scientists and programs at PUI campuses, and the growth and effectiveness of the bioinformatics network in supporting education and research across the State will be closely monitored.
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