The main goal of the UPRMC Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Program is to increase the number of hispanics and other minorities trained and educated through research in the Biomedical Sciences. Concurrent objectives are to foster research among the faculty, increase the opportunities for them to develop into bona-fide investigators to integrate the triad components of research, academics (education) and service at the Mayaguez Campus. The MBRS Program provides the incentives and opportunities for minority students and investigators to participate in biomedical research projects of broad, current significance, and those that address issues relevant to medical and public health problems unique to terrestrial, and marine tropical environments. It integrates both current and newly initiated biomedical research efforts of the facilities of Engineering, Arts and Sciences and the Department of Marine Sciences at UPR-Mayaguez Campus. It has established interdisciplinary research projects that provide broad range of experience and career opportunities for minority students. The program also provides an appropriate vehicle for enhanced exchange and interaction of students and senior investigators with major institutions in Puerto Rico and the continental United States. The MBRS Program has become one of the most successful endeavors in research at the Mayaguez Campus. As a precursor of research development, the MBRS Program has had a direct effect on the establishment of the Marine Natural Products Center (MRCE:NSF/UPR); provided the initial experiences and opportunities to many investigators that were able to compete in the UPR-NSF EPSCoR programs, the Sea Grant Program and increased the submission of proposals to other funding agencies; it has also stimulated the institutional interest in sponsoring symposia, conferences and seminars; it has promoted the participation of the programs's students and investigators to attend international research symposia and encourage participation in national meetings, especially the NIH/MBRS Annual Symposium. Student participants have been greatly benefitted by our MBRS Program. Undergraduate and graduate students have been introduced to all phases of research program methodology, including systematic literature review, project planning, use of technical equipment, analyses of data, and presentation of results for publication. Premedical students of the Department of Biology have participated strongly in our MbRS Program. Follow-ups on such students reveals that experience with the Program contributes greatly to their success in medical school and has frequently stimulated them to adopt research-oriented careers in clinics and hospitals associated with medical schools. The MBRS Director continues to promote and encourage the distribution of funds specially for students affairs and support. The theme adopted by the guidance and development of the future program is: """"""""Biomedical Model Systems: Organismal Response, Development, and Detection of Natural Products in Tropical Environments. The objective of this proposal is to obtain support to continue strengthening what we have accomplished and to promote further development of the program. Sixteen new projects are being submitted in this omnibus proposal.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Minority Biomedical Research Support - MBRS (S06)
Project #
5S06GM008103-25
Application #
2701449
Study Section
Minority Programs Review Committee (MPRC)
Project Start
1979-05-28
Project End
1999-04-30
Budget Start
1998-05-01
Budget End
1999-04-30
Support Year
25
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
Department
Zoology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Mayaguez
State
PR
Country
United States
Zip Code
00681
Díaz Casas, Adalberto; Chazin, Walter J; Pastrana-Ríos, Belinda (2017) Prp40 Homolog A Is a Novel Centrin Target. Biophys J 112:2529-2539
Lara Rodriguez, L; Sundaram, P A (2016) Corrosion behavior of plasma electrolytically oxidized gamma titanium aluminide alloy in simulated body fluid. Mater Chem Phys 181:67-77
Bueno-Vera, J A; Torres-Zapata, I; Sundaram, P A et al. (2015) Electrochemical characterization of MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on ?TiAl and Ti-6Al-4V alloys. Bioelectrochemistry 106:316-27
Pastrana-Rios, Belinda; Del Valle Sosa, Liliana; Santiago, Jorge (2015) Trifluoroacetic acid as excipient destabilizes melittin causing the selective aggregation of melittin within the centrin-melittin-trifluoroacetic acid complex. Struct Dyn 2:041711
Santiago-Medina, P; Sundaram, P A; Diffoot-Carlo, N (2015) Titanium Oxide: A Bioactive Factor in Osteoblast Differentiation. Int J Dent 2015:357653
Santiago-Medina, Pricilla; Sundaram, Paul A; Diffoot-Carlo, Nanette (2014) The effects of micro arc oxidation of gamma titanium aluminide surfaces on osteoblast adhesion and differentiation. J Mater Sci Mater Med 25:1577-87
Vera, José L; Rullán, Jorge; Santos, Natasha et al. (2014) Functionalized ferrocenes: The role of the para substituent on the phenoxy pendant group. J Organomet Chem 749:204-214
Lara Rodriguez, L; Sundaram, P A; Rosim-Fachini, E et al. (2014) Plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings on ?TiAl alloy for potential biomedical applications. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 102:988-1001
Dominguez-Garcia, Moralba; Ortega-Zuniga, Carlos; Melendez, Enrique (2013) New tungstenocenes containing 3-hydroxy-4-pyrone ligands: antiproliferative activity on HT-29 and MCF-7 cell lines and binding to human serum albumin studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular modeling methods. J Biol Inorg Chem 18:195-209
Pastrana-Rios, Belinda; Reyes, Myrna; De Orbeta, Jessica et al. (2013) Relative stability of human centrins and its relationship to calcium binding. Biochemistry 52:1236-48

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