The Vanderbilt Vision Research Center (VVRC) was founded in 1989 as a cross-institutional, interdisciplinary collaboration between Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The VVRC has a history innovative vision research, spanning the eye and its diseases to cognitive processing and integration of visual information. Faculty from the School of Medicine, College of Arts & Science, School of Engineering and the Peabody College of Education and Human Development combine through strong institutional support and strategic faculty appointments to sustain excellence in vision science. We request continued support for eight well-coordinated service modules in addition to our administrative module. Animal Services, Histology, Instrumentation and Computation represent cores intrinsic to VVRC facilities, while Genomics, Cell Imaging, In Vivo Imaging, and Proteomics utilize an internal scholarship system to subsidize use of the world-class institutional cores for which Vanderbilt is known. The Animal Services Module (1) provides specialized surgical and daily services essential for our investigators who use awake, behaving nonhuman primates or other large mammals. The Histology Module (2) provides preparation, embedding, sectioning and staining of all tissues derived from visual structures in the eye and brain. The Instrumentation Module (3) provides unique, customized apparatus and tools and provides expertise in constructing digital interfaces for laboratory equipment. The Computation Module (4) provides server maintenance, custom programming and coding for data analysis and machine interfacing, system administration, and webpage-based applications. The Genomics Module (5) subsidizes use of VANTAGE, or Vanderbilt Technologies for Advanced Genomics, and VANGARD, or Vanderbilt Technologies for Advanced Genomics Analysis and Research Design, for high-throughput DNA and RNA services, biostatistical and bioinformatic support, and data analysis and storage. The Cell Imaging Module (6) utilizes the Vanderbilt Cell Imaging Shared Resource (CISR) and includes specialized confocal and laser-scanning microscopy along with high-performance image processing. The In Vivo Imaging Module (7) utilizes the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS), which offers several noninvasive resources through the Human Imaging Core and the Center for Small Animal Imaging (CSAI). Finally, the Proteomics Module (8) supports use of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center (MSRC), which comprises Proteomics, Mass Spec Tissue Imaging, and Mass Spectrometry and provides high-throughput analysis of protein modifications, differential protein expression, protein-protein interactions and localization, and biomarkers of disease. The Administrative Module ensures continued smooth and stable operation of the VVRC research and training missions. Modules are directed by investigators with history of NEI funding, have talented and experienced staff and provide services that are otherwise not available or would be prohibitively expensive or slow. During the current grant cycle, our 36 investigator-status members holding 28 NEI R01 awards alone published 582 papers making made fundamental contributions to basic and clinical visual science, with 396 utilizing more than one service module and 132 utilizing two or more. Each service module was utilized by no fewer than eight investigators, and 18 investigators utilized at least three modules. This Core grant has increased collaborations within and between basic and clinical vision researchers across the Vanderbilt campus and with other institutions. This Core grant has enhanced recruitment of world-class eye and vision researchers resulting in continued extensive NEI-sponsored research at Vanderbilt.
The Vanderbilt Vision Research Center (VVRC) was founded in 1989 as a cross-institutional, interdisciplinary collaboration between Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The VVRC's long-term mission is to leverage novel technologies, strategies and partnerships to (1) understand the biological substrates of vision and mechanisms of diseases affecting the visual system and (2) leverage this knowledge to develop and test new therapeutic strategies for vision-threatening conditions. Collaborative teams of vision scientists combine experimental approaches spanning genes and proteins to brain circuits and behavior to better understand vision and ways to preserve it in aging and disease.
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