This is a renewal application for a cooperative agreement (U54), Mechanisms of Alcohol Pathology (MAP), between faculties of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a Historically Black College and University, and the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (BCAS) at The University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine. This proposal represents a true collaborative effort between the NCCU and UNC faculty with both groups contributing significant effort and being essential to the success of this Alcohol and Health Disparity Research Center (AHDRC) Program. Within this proposal, an NCCU Administrative Core, Mentoring and Development Core, and five Research Components will integrate with the UNC-BCAS Administrative, Mentoring and Development Cores and Research Components, as well as other activities at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. The UNC NIAAA Alcohol Research Center (ARC) and BCAS have many faculty studying mechanisms of alcohol pathology across the spectrum of behavioral, tissue, and cellular pathologies that occur with alcohol exposure. This proposal will focus on cellular pathologies that allow collaborative research partnerships on common areas of interest between UNC and NCCU faculty. These partnerships open UNC research laboratories, core facilities and libraries to NCCU faculty improving opportunities for developing productive research laboratories at NCCU. In addition, large numbers of NCCU students will continue to become involved in research on mechanisms of alcohol pathologies providing education on African-American alcohol related health disparities which are due to increased morbidity to alcohol related pathologies and not increased alcohol use disorder. The objectives of this U54 partnership are to investigate molecular mechanisms of alcohol- induced cellular pathology. This proposal includes eight NCCU research projects that will investigate the molecular mechanisms of fetal alcohol pathology, alcohol induced liver disease, alcohol induced oral and breast cancers as well as alcohol-cannabinoid neurotoxicity. A second objective is to provide scholarly education on Alcohol Pathology for NCCU students. The educational efforts in this proposal will involve NCCU undergraduate and graduate students through the BCAS seminar series, through training in UNC laboratories and research development and mentor meetings, attendance and presentation of data at the annual RSA meeting, an alcohol seminar series hosted by NCCU, a new course curricula on alcohol pathology developed with a focus on health disparities, as well as specific undergraduate student summer internships for NCCU students to study and learn about alcohol pathology and health disparities within laboratories in both institutions. Ultimately this proposal will conduct, promote, support, and mentor research into mechanisms of alcohol pathology, creating an active and successful alcohol research program within NCCU that synergizes with UNC to advance education and discoveries.
This proposed U54 Collaborative Partnership (NCCU-UNC) is relevant to alcohol induced health disparities among African Americans due to a focus on understanding morbidity due to alcohol abuse. Health disparities are primarily due to increased severity of fetal alcohol toxicity, alcohol neurotoxicity, and alcohol induced carcinogenesis, live injury, and inflammation. This proposal has research components addressing each of these pathologies. Collaborative partnerships that carry out integrated and focused research on the molecular mechanisms of alcohol pathology involving faculty and students from NCCU, a historically Black College and University, educates and involves future researchers on alcohol health disparities as well as making discoveries mechanisms that may lead to cures.
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