This is an application for renewal of the George M. O'Brien Kidney Center at Yale. This center was established with the overarching goal to facilitate basic, translational and clinical research that will advance the prevention and treatment of kidney diseases. Major research areas of emphasis are renal epithelial cell biology and physiology;inherited kidney disease and kidney development;acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD);and vascular biology, inflammation and glomerular disease. A critically important benefit of the Center is to provide renal investigators both at Yale and across the country with access to highly specialized services not otherwise routinely available to support their research. To this end, the Center includes three cores to provide small animal physiology and phenotyping services to enable detailed characterization of renal function at the level of the tubule, the kidney, and the intact organism in normal animals and in animal models of renal injury and kidney disease;provide mouse genetics and cell line services to develop novel animal models and kidney cell lines to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying normal renal function and the pathophysiology of kidney diseases;and provide human genetics and clinical research services to enhance the ability of renal investigators to apply advanced genetic and genomic technologies to human investigation. Our cores currently have a combined user base of approximately 90 investigators, including over 40 at outside institutions. A Pilot and Feasibility Program has the goals of providing initial project funding for young investigators, attracting new investigators into the field of kidney disease research, and fostering translational and clinical studies directly related to kidney diseases. In addition, an Enrichment Program enhances kidney disease research by maximizing interaction and information sharing among renal investigators and trainees, and by providing activities to enhance recruitment and education of all levels of trainees from undergraduate students to postdoctoral fellows.
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