INBRE Awards – May 2009

NCRR's IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) promote the development, coordination, and sharing of research resources and expertise that will expand the research opportunities and increase the number of competitive investigators in the IDeA-eligible states.

Supported by NCRR's Division of Research Infrastructure (DRI), INBRE are intended to enhance the caliber of scientific faculty at research institutions and undergraduate schools, thereby attracting more promising students to these organizations.

New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, N.M.

New Mexico IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
Jeffrey B. Arterburn, Ph.D.
E-mail: jarterbu@nmsu.edu

Science Core Director
Jeffrey K. Griffith, Ph.D.
E-mail: JKGriffith@salud.unm.edu

Participating Institutions:

Description (provided by grantee):

The purpose of the New Mexico Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (NM-INBRE) is to strengthen biomedical research in New Mexico's institutions of higher education and to prepare faculty and students for participation in the research programs of the National Institutes of Health. The program is dedicated to helping create strong, supportive research environments for faculty and students and facilitating communication and collaborations among the participating institutions. The continuing program will build upon the scientific achievements, increased interactions between investigators, institutional cooperation, faculty and student developmental activities, as well as major strides in bioinformatics analysis and genome sequencing capacity that have been established. The specific aims are to provide organization, oversight, and leadership for the NM-INBRE Network; to build and enhance the biomedical research base through faculty development and a strong portfolio of scientific research projects in thematic focus areas, and aligned with Signature Programs, Educational and Community focus objectives of the UNM Health Science Center, Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC); to build and enhance the biomedical research base through student education, development and participation in the individual research projects; and to focus activities of the multi-disciplinary NM-INBRE research network through collaborative bioinformatics and research cores, and synergistic cooperation with NCRR IDeA and other biomedical and health related programs at the state, regional and national level. These efforts will engage our diverse student population into a cohesive network of undergraduate and graduate training programs that provides a pipeline of trainees for the State's basic, translational and clinical research career opportunities.

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska

Contaminants and Infectious Agents: Molecular Approaches

Principal Investigator
George M. Happ, Ph.D.
E-mail: george.happ@alaska.edu

Program Coordinator
Jocelyn Krebs, Ph.D.
E-mail: afjek@uaa.alaska.edu

Participating Institutions:

Description (provided by grantee):

The Alaska (UA) INBRE-2 program aims to strengthen and expand the Alaska network for biomedical research and training and to ensure that it is self-sustaining. INBRE-2 research builds on the advances made in INBRE-1 to fill out Alaska expertise in basic cell biology and in chemical and microbial disease agents from the environment, including emerging infectious zoonotic diseases like avian influenza and tularemia. These microbiology and toxicology themes interface with the strong ecology programs in Alaska. Major INBRE-2 investments focus on seven additional faculty, students, faculty setups, collaborative research partnerships (including joint appointments with state public health labs), administrative support for research, and educational outreach. The Alaska INBRE network has two major nodes, at UAA (Anchorage) and UAF (Fairbanks). INBRE has partnerships with: the State Department of Public Health, other smaller college units, K-12 education, the health delivery community, and collaborators in the Northwest region. It supports graduate fellowships and undergraduate research awards and formalizes the process of making students aware of on-campus research opportunities. It continues to sponsor postdoctoral fellows and to encourage their integration into the UA's academic culture. It funds and facilitates a suite of programs for pre-college students, particularly those in rural villages where Alaska Natives are in majority. The program assists and trains students to do research in high school, to learn modem biology in summer courses, to transition to college, to do research in college and to apply for post-graduate training. The educational pipeline that draws students from rural Alaska toward the university can become a two-way conduit that encourages these communities to share what they know and what they need.

University of Delaware

Newark, Del.

IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
David S. Weir, Ph.D.
E-mail: weir@dbi.udel.edu

Program Coodinator
Karl V. Steiner, Dr.-Ing.
E-mail: ksteiner@udel.edu

Participating Institutions:

Description (provided by grantee):

The goal of the Delaware INBRE-2 is to take steps towards improving health care in the state by extending the work of the current INBRE in building a statewide biomedical research capability. The project will continue to strengthen the research expertise and infrastructure of the lead and partner institutions. Three research themes will be pursued. A cancer program, begun under the current INBRE, will focus on cancer cell mobility, the role of specific proteins in metastasis, DNA repair and biomaterials for use in cancer treatments. A new cardiovascular program will focus on extra-cellular matrix remodeling in heart failure and biomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering. A new neuroscience program will address molecular mechanisms of learning and memory, spinal muscular atrophy and cardiovascular autonomic nerve function in diabetes. Funds to support junior faculty, postdoctoral and graduate students engaged in the research projects within each research theme are provided. The research themes are supported by a statewide biomedical infrastructure developed under the current INBRE, but with considerably enhanced Bioinformatics and Centralized Instrumentation Cores. An Undergraduate Research and Professional Development Core will provide research opportunities for students from the state's undergraduate institutions and community colleges, thereby developing a pipeline of students pursuing careers in the health care industry and enhancing the technical knowledge of the State's workforce. The Delaware INBRE is focused on research in cancer, heart disease and neuroscience, three areas where disease take the lives of millions of Americans each year. The project helps promising scientists begin their research careers/by providing research seed grants, which form a foundation for future research.

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho

Idaho INBRE Program

Principal Investigator
Carolyn Hovde Bohach, Ph.D.
E-mail: cbohach@uidaho.edu

Program Coordinator
Michael Laskowski, Ph.D.
E-mail: mlaskow@uidaho.edu

Participating Institutions:

Description (provided by grantee):

The University of Idaho will continue the IDeA INBRE Program by sponsoring statewide biomedical research at the BS/MS-granting institutions and two- and four-year colleges. With previous funding an unprecedented network of research and educational collaborations among ten institutions in Idaho has been built. Successes include a doubling in the number of undergraduates pursing science and health-related careers and a 20-fold return on an eight-year, $1.2 million seed grant investment that resulted in 65 extramural applications and over $26 million in new awards. The renewal proposes to enhance successful programs to catalyze Idaho's transformation to competitiveness through core laboratory facilities, support services, faculty research, student educational and research opportunities, and community outreach. The program has five specific aims: 1) To strengthen Idaho's biomedical research infrastructure and expertise by building on the established INBRE network with the scientific theme of "Cell Signaling"; 2) To provide support to Idaho faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students to increase the research base and capacity; 3) To provide research opportunities to Idaho undergraduate students and serve as a pipeline for these students to continue in health research careers; 4) To enhance the science and technology knowledge of Idaho's workforce; and 5) To expand Idaho research opportunities across the Western IDeA Region. The Aims will be met with an Administrative Core and Statewide Steering Committee that bring talented leaders representing all institutions together to guide the Network; an External Advisory Committee with expertise in "Cell Signaling", sustaining productive research programs, and higher education; and a Bioinformatics Core.

University of Kansas Medical Center

Kansas City, Kan.

Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
Joan S. Hunt, Ph.D., D.Sc.
E-mail: jhunt@kumc.edu

Program Coodinator
Peter G. Smith, Ph.D.
E-mail: psmith@kumc.edu

Participating Institutions:

Description (provided by grantee):

The K-INBRE links the Kansas University Medical Center (lead institution) with the two other major doctoral-degree-granting institutions in Kansas (University of Kansas-Lawrence and Kansas State University) as Graduate Partner Institutions (GPI) and with seven Undergraduate Partner Institutions (UPI). The UPI includes six Kansas undergraduate campuses (Emporia State University, Ft. Hays State University, Haskell Indian Nations University, Pittsburgh State University, Washburn University, Wichita State University) and Langston University. Haskell Indian Nations University and Langston University increase diversity in the network as the first is devoted to education and training of Native Americans and the second enrolls primarily black undergraduates. The long-range objective of the Kansas program is to strengthen the state's research capacity in cell and developmental biology by building on the successes of the current K-INBRE. The size, structure and operational principles, which include a strong emphasis on training for biomedical research, networking, intercampus communication and the establishment of a sophisticated bioinformatics program, were established during the previous years of support. The specific aims of the K-INBRE are to maintain and improve the current multi-disciplinary research network in cell and developmental biology with efficient administration and focus on networking, enhance science and technology knowledge and integration by offering sophisticated bioinformatics technology and education and facilitate translational research via bidirectional exchange of basic and clinical scientist training opportunities. Within these aims, new features that improve the K-INBRE include broadening funding for research careers together with improvements in oversight and the mentoring process, promoting an integrated systems biology approach within our bioinformatics network, and incorporating training for translational research into the K-INBRE goals so as to smooth the progress of scientific discoveries into the clinical arena.

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha, Neb.

Nebraska Research Network in Functional Genomics

Principal Investigator
James B. Turpen, Ph.D.
E-mail: jturpen@unmc.edu

Program Coodinator
Williams G. Chaney, Ph.D.
E-mail: wchaney@unmc.edu

Participating Institutions:

Description (provided by grantee):

The Nebraska Research Network in Functional Genomics has two major components, the undergraduate campuses located throughout the State and the research campuses located in Omaha and Lincoln. On the undergraduate campuses, INBRE will support 24 faculty directed research projects. This support includes funding for summer salaries, release time during the academic year, supplies, major items of equipment and travel to scientific meetings. INBRE will support 26 undergraduate INBRE Scholars who are conducting research on the undergraduate campuses. This Scholars program is a two year commitment and is the major component of a successful effort to develop a pipeline of Nebraska students into biomedical research and the health professions. Two major components of the program are on the research campuses. INBRE will provide significant funding for the support of graduate student stipends for former INBRE scholars enrolled in Ph.D. programs on any of the research campuses. The second component is the support for multi-user core laboratories located on the training campuses and at the University of Nebraska Omaha campus. The bioinformatics core has been reorganized and consolidated at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Individual investigators on both the undergraduate and research campuses as well as investigators using the proteomics and genomics cores have developed significant interactions with the University of Nebraska Omaha Bioinformatics core and rely on them for bioinformatics support and data management. The scientific themes for the research network are cell signaling, infectious disease and structural biology and biophysics.

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Oklahoma City

Oklahoma IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

Principal Investigator
Frank J. Waxman, Ph.D.
E-mail: fwaxman@osrhe.edu

Program Coodinator
John de Banzie, Ph.D.
E-mail: debanzie@nsuok.edu

Participating Institutions:

Description (provided by grantee):

Oklahoma's IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (OK-INBRE) will build capacity to carry out biomedical research by supporting promising new faculty, recruiting students into biomedical careers, sustaining vital core facilities and performing statewide K-12 outreach through a network of community colleges. The OK-INBRE is diverse, comprising two research-intensive institutions, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), whose primary missions are biomedical research and education and patient care, as well as six primarily undergraduate institutions and four community colleges. The Network includes Oklahoma's only historically black college and university, a primarily undergraduate institution with the highest number of Native Americans of any college in the nation, Oklahoma's largest tribal college, and other institutions with large numbers of students from underrepresented groups. The research themes are multi-disciplinary, spanning the fields of Microbiology & Immunology, Cancer and Developmental Biology. This thematic focus is closely linked with the strategic research plans of the two lead biomedical research-intensive institutions. The goal of research support through INBRE will be enhancing the opportunity for these promising new investigators to develop independent research programs. Support for undergraduate students will be provided by summer internships and participation in the faculty research projects. INBRE will also support a Bioinformatics Core facility at OUHSC. Several accessory cores comprising a network of bioinformatics facilities supporting functional genomics research, and a small animal imaging facility, will be available to INBRE investigators. INBRE support for faculty and student research, curriculum development, core facilities, and K-12 outreach will allow us to continue to build Oklahoma's student pipeline and enhance our efforts to become nationally competitive in biomedical research.