Administrative Component The PI, Professor Richard H. Kramer, has a primary appointment in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Professor Kramer has been an independent investigator since 1993, first at the University of Miami School of Medicine, and since 2000 at UC Berkeley. He has had continuous NIH funding since 1993 and continuous ROI funding from the NEI since 1998. As a member of the MCB Department who has also been active member of the UCBSO-based Vision Science Graduate Program since 2000, he is ideal for bridging the diverse fields of interest held by members ofthe Vision Science CORE. Dr. Kramer has served in several leadership positions, including Co-Director ofthe UC Berkeley Nanomedicine Development Center, Chair of the Admissions Committee for the UC Berkeley Biophysics Graduate Program, Chair of Faculty Search Committees, and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max-Planck institute in Bonn, Germany. Professor Kramer is dedicated to directing the Vision Science CORE to provide modern resources and services to faculty participants in order to better serve their research needs. Dr. Kramer's research is focused on two Vision Science areas. First, his lab has pioneered functional imaging of light-elicited activity in the retina (with fluorescence indicator dyes or proteins) to better understand molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission and to provide insights into synaptic information processing important for visual perception. His second research area is focused on the design and use of chemical photoswitch molecules that enable optical control of neuronal firing. In recent studies the Kramer lab has developed photoswitch molecules that can restore at least some visual function to blind mice lacking rods and cones. These responses can be measured optically (with functional imaging), electrophysiologically (with patch clamp or multi-electrode array recordings), and behaviorally (though in vivo tests on blind mice injected intravitreally with these compounds). Dr. Kramer's lab collaborates with the Feller, Werblin, Flannery, and Roorda labs, and all are extensive users of the Microscopic Imaging and Gene Delivery Modules. Dr. Kramer's role as CORE Director will be to oversee the Modules, participate in the hiring of technical experts working in the Modules (along with the Module Directors), chair the semi-annual Internal Review Committee Meetings (see policy # 2 below), and participate in the annual External Review Board meetings (policy # 6 below). Dr. Kramer will have the ultimate responsible for fair and equitable access to CORE resources and services and will have the ultimate responsible for budgetary decisions. Operation of the CORE grant will be supported by a 10% effort Administrative Assistant, who will compile information and assemble usage reports from each Module, and keep detailed records of budgets, expenditures, and balances. We have chosen highly accomplished faculty to be the directors of our 4 CORE Modules. Xiaohua Gong and John Flannery, co-directors of Gene Delivery are among the world?s experts in molecular biology methods for eye research, with a particular emphasis on gene delivery. Maria Feller, director of Microscopic Imaging, did her PhD work in Physics with an emphasis in optics, and is he has maintained a strong interest in advanced microscopy approaches. She has excellent organizational skills and has run the Module quite successfully over the past 5 years. Marty Banks is an established researcher in computational visual neuroscience and a brilliant computer programmer, and has done a great job overseeing the Software Development over the past 5 years. Dennis Levi, is stepping down as the Dean of the UCBSO, and has the time and great desire to establish the new Translational Research Module. Meng Lin, the current director of the Clinical Research Center, will co direct this module. The pair are dedicating to encourage more people to directly translate their finding into clinical applications, starting with human subject studies facilitated by the Translational Research Module. All of the Module directors are putting great effort into the CORE, and all are committed to establishing an excellent group of Modules that will bring out the best in Vision Research at UC Berkeley. Policies of the UC Berkeley Vision Science CORE. To ensure fair and equitable access to CORE Modules by participating faculty, we have instituted a series of new general CORE policies. In addition, some of the individual Modules have instituted further use policies and governing procedures, and these can be found in the descriptive sections for each Module. The general CORE policies are as follows: 1. Access to resources and/or services generally will be on a first-come/first-served basis, but some restrictions apply. An investigator may only have two requests pending on the queue and jobs requiring more than three weeks for completion will be considered multiple requests. Special requests for multiple or extensive jobs may be made to the Module director or the Internal Review Committee (see below). 2. Investigator usage and Module expenditures will be evaluated by an Internal Review Committee, which will have regular meetings on a semi-annual basis, and additional ad hoc meetings, as necessary. The Internal Review Committee shall be composed ofthe Module directors, the PI, and a representative staff member from one ofthe Modules. The committee will evaluate semi-annual reports of usage by participating CORE faculty to ensure equitable access. The committee will consider special requests, including for large or especially time consuming projects, rush orders, and cases of financial hardship. 3. Module directors are responsible for promoting use of their Module by announcing new resources or services, and by publicizing openings in the job queue. Each Module has a website advertising available service and instructions about how to access these services. The Administrative Assistant will help the directors in this endeavor. Participating investigators who are moderate or extensive users of a module are encouraged to form a """"""""user group"""""""" to discuss access, resources-, and services provided by the module and if desired, to propose changes to the Module Director and to the Internal Review Committee. 4. New investigators shall have priority access to Module resources and services. 5. Modules may charge an appropriate hourly fee for services to compensate for budget shortfalls. The fee structure for each module will be determined by the Internal Review Committee. CORE users shall be notified of the applicable recharge rate before work on a job has begun. 6. An External Review Board of three prominent local, but non-UC Berkeley, Vision Scientists will meet annually to evaluate the performance of the Modules, to assess the fairness of CORE faculty access, and to evaluate the CORE budget. This meeting will coincide with the """"""""Bay Area Vision Research Day (BAVRD), held in late August. The following investigators have already agreed to serve on the External Review Board for the next funding period (see enclosed letters in Appendix B): Dr. Marie Burns, UC Davis Ophthalmology &Vision Science Dr. Jonathan C. Horton, UCSF Ophthalmology ) Dr. Todd Margolis, UCSF Ophthalmology
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