Chronic inflammatory disorders are one of the biggest health problems in America today. This application describes the Comprehensive Center for Inflammatory Disorders whose mission is to support the identification and implementation of the full range of discovery from research on the basic mechanisms of inflammation to improved methods in the prevention and treatment of oral and systemic inflammatory diseases and disorders. The goals of the Center are to: 1) integrate studies on the fundamental mechanisms of cellular responses to inflammatory stimuli to better understand the basis of cellular activation, motility, and function that occur during inflammatory responses; 2) integrate basic research studies on inflammation with animal, patient-based and population research to better understand the cellular and molecular basis of oral inflammatory disorders; 3) identify several new and innovative approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic inflammation and facilitate their development into effective interventions for the treatment of oral and systemic inflammatory diseases and disorders within 5 years; 4) utilize and expand ongoing research on community education, screening, counseling, and related service programs to find better ways to expand public implementation of new advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic oral and systemic inflammatory diseases and disorders; 5) integrate discovery from laboratory, clinical, population, education or community-based research into ongoing Center activities or new Center initiatives; and 6) promote programs for the education of health professionals and the public on the etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases and disorders. The Center consists of 4 workgroups in the areas of fundamental, clinical, epidemiologic, and community outreach and outcomes research which are supported by an administrative, educational, technology transfer, and research support core. This Center core is designed to: 1) stimulate sharing, mutual interpretation, and integration of information on inflammation or inflammatory disorders obtained through research discovery; 2) provide mechanisms that allow the rapid development of discovery into new research projects, therapies, interventions, or potentially marketable products; 3) educate health professionals and the public on health issues of oral and systemic inflammatory disorders; and 4) make available to each product essential administrative support, research facilities, research services, coordination, and scientific leadership.
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