Background
There is a growing public desire for more
information on the development, treatment, and
prevention of obesity, and the role of diet in
disease prevention. The National Institutes of
Health (NIH) has performed and supported research
relating to obesity and the relationship of diet
to health and disease, and it continues to be
committed to developing new nutritional
information and imparting this information to
physicians, other health professionals, and the
public.
The National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) within NIH
provides a number of grant programs as part of
its mission to support research and research
training. Two types of university-based core
centers whose focus is obesity and nutrition
research operate through the support of these
grant programs: the Clinical Nutrition Research
Unit (CNRU) and the Obesity/Nutrition Research
Center (ONRC).
The CNRUs work to bring together basic science
and clinical investigators in a manner that will
enrich the effectiveness of research in
nutritional sciences. The objectives of the CNRUs
are to:
- Create or strengthen a focus in biomedical
research institutions for multidisciplinary
research in clinical nutrition;
- Develop new knowledge about specific
nutrients in health throughout the human life
cycle and in the prevention and treatment of
disease;
- Strengthen training environments to improve
the education of medical students, house staff,
practicing physicians, and allied health
personnel in clinical nutrition; and
- Enhance patient care and promote good
health by focusing attention on clinical
nutrition and generating nutritional
information for the public.
The ONRCs focus on bringing together basic
science and clinical investigators to enhance and
extend the effectiveness of nutrition research
being conducted in the fields of obesity, eating
disorders, and energy regulation. The objectives
of the ONRCs are to:
- Create or strengthen a focus in biomedical
research institutions for multidisciplinary
research in obesity and nutrition;
- Develop new knowledge concerning the
development, treatment, and prevention of
obesity and eating disorders;
- Understand control and modulation of energy
metabolism in obesity;
- Understand and treat disorders associated
with abnormalities of energy balance and weight
management; and
- Strengthen training environments to improve
the education of medical students, house staff,
practicing physicians, and allied health
personnel with regard to obesity and
nutrition.
This document presents the annual reports of
each of the six CNRUs and four ONRCs supported by
NIDDK along with two other CNRUs supported by the
National Cancer Institute. Each of these 12
annual reports provides specific information
about the center such as its goals and
objectives, core laboratories, pilot and
feasibility studies, scientific advances,
specific accomplishments relevant to public
health, and educational activities.
While differences between the CNRUs and ONRCs
exist, and will therefore be evident in the
annual reports, the overall goals of each center
are the same:
- To support an ongoing research base through
more efficient use of resources and promotion
of interactions among research staff,
and
- To lead to further funding of research
investigators.
Advances in obesity research and the
nutritional sciences are derived from, and thus
are dependent on, many disciplines such as
biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics,
and
physiology and on medical specialties such as
internal medicine, pediatrics, and surgery.
Because of this interdisciplinary nature, success
in achieving goals is dependent on close
interactions among obesity and nutritional
science researchers, health services providers,
and educators. The annual reports demonstrate how
these close interactions among investigators and
health professionals at the various CNRUs and
ONRCs have resulted in significant advances in
the fields of obesity and nutritional
science.
Although not included in this document,
additional research centers have existed and
contributed to obesity and nutritional advances
in the past. These include the University of
Wisconsin, University of Georgia, University of
Alabama at Birmingham, and Columbia
University.
Organization of Annual Reports
This
Website contains 12 annual reports, one for each
core center. Each report provides information
under the same generic headings, described below.
An attempt was made to present each report in the
same format; however, because the various centers
operate differently, their activities and
accomplishments did not always lend themselves to
presentation in identical formats.
Organization and Goals
This section of each report provides a brief
description of the center as well as a list of
its overall goals and objectives.
Core Laboratories
This section describes the centerís
biomedical research core-a shared facility that
enables CNRU/ONRC investigators to conduct their
independently funded, individual research
projects more efficiently and effectively. The
type and amount of core facilities found in each
CNRU/ONRC vary depending on the centerís
individual needs; however, all centers have an
administrative core that provides a supportive
structure. Within this structure is a mechanism
to oversee the use of funds for the proposed
Pilot and Feasibility Program as well as an
external advisory group to support the director
in decisions regarding budget, policy,
collaborations, and other areas and to provide a
scientific review group for the Pilot and
Feasibility Program.
Pilot and Feasibility Studies
This section describes pilot and feasibility
studies, which are supported at the centers for a
limited time to allow eligible investigators to
explore the feasibility of an obesity- or
nutrition-related concept and amass sufficient
data to subsequently pursue its study through
other funding mechanisms.
Funding Derived From Previous Pilot and
Feasibility Studies
Additional funding from different institutions
sometimes results from previous pilot and
feasibility studies carried out at the centers.
This section, if included, describes the
additional funding, its source, and the project
funded.
Scientific Advances/Accomplishments
Each CNRU/ONRC presents selected advancements and
accomplishments it has made through individual
research efforts in the fields of obesity, eating
disorders, and nutritional sciences. This section
is not intended to include all of the advances
and accomplishments of the centers, but
highlights ones of particular significance to
basic science because of their specific
application to clinical nutrition or obesity.
Specific Accomplishments
Each center report discusses selected
accomplishments, from a public health
perspective, that have resulted from its
existence. These accomplishments include research
advances in specific health areas such as
womenís health, minority health, AIDS,
obesity, and energy balance. Also included may be
research beneficial to health promotion, disease
prevention, and reduction in health care costs.
(These accomplishments may overlap the scientific
advances described above.)
Educational
Activities/Accomplishments
This section highlights educational and
enrichment activities initiated by the CNRU or
ONRC. It also includes any special recognition
awards received by the center.
Benefits and Interactions Resulting From
the Existence of the CNRU or ONRC
This section, if included, briefly describes the
benefits resulting from the presence of the
center such as the collaborations it has
stimulated and the research of young
investigators it has fostered.
Laboratory Facilities Available to the CNRU
or ONRC
Laboratory facilities and techniques available
for use by the center are listed in this
section.
