The Cellular Immunology and Immune Metabolism Core (CIMC) of the LSU-Cancer Center was created in 2006 with the objective of providing flow cytometry support to Promising Junior Investigators (PJI) funded during Phase I of the COBRE ?Mentoring Translational Researchers in Louisiana?. During Phase II, and under the scientific direction of Dr. Paulo Rodriguez, and with the oversight of Dr. Augusto Ochoa, the CIMC evolved to provide cutting edge technologies not only to COBRE-supported PJI, but also to the LSUHSC investigators and to other users in our region. The CIMC laboratory now provides comprehensive analytic flow cytometry and high-speed cell sorting services, immune function assays including antigen specific and mitogen induced cell proliferation, cytokine production, cell mediated cytotoxicity, and effector T cell frequency. During Phase II, the CIMC also acquired and developed the infrastructure and expertise to study cellular metabolism (of tumor cells and immune cells), including oxygen consumption rate and mitochondrial mass and function; and the detection of immune mediators through multiplex approaches. The state-of-the-art services provided by the CIMC and its experienced team allow the investigators to identify new biomarkers for inflammation, new mechanisms of immune dysfunction in disease, and innovative approaches to overcome immune suppression in diseases characterized by chronic inflammation, thereby increasing their chances for high impact publications and federal and foundation-related funding. These advanced technologies have positioned the CIMC as the leader laboratory in inflammation and immune research in the region, which has resulted in an increased number of users and its integration as a core laboratory at the LSUHSC School of Medicine and the LSU-Cancer Center. The main goal of Phase III is to expand the number of users by providing the most advanced technologies to study inflammation and disease as they become available, and to complete the integration of CIMC as a Cancer Center and School of Medicine Core. Thus, our proposal encompasses the potential of significantly improving the quality of translational research in the State of Louisiana.
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