P30GM145765

Cobre Phase III: Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research - Overall Proposal Summary

The Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research, established in 2012 with a COBRE award, is a collaboration between Delaware State University (DSU) and the University of Delaware (UD). Our unique center brings together faculty and research resources from two very different institutions: a minority-serving, undergraduate university with an emerging strength in neuroscience research (DSU), and the state's flagship research university (UD).

Phase II of our Neuroscience Center COBRE was focused on strengthening our infrastructure for neuroscience research and continuing to support the research and professional development of early-stage investigators. This included project leads, pilot grant PIs, and new faculty who were hired at DSU with COBRE support. Our center has been very successful, with over 175 publications by COBRE-supported researchers. Additionally, six project leads have "graduated" into R01 support, three pilot investigators have graduated to NSF grants, including a career award, and new faculty recruited to DSU with COBRE support have won K01 and R21 awards.

During Phase II, our institutions made significant investments in the research infrastructure for neuroscience. The University of Delaware established the Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging with a 3T scanner for human magnetic resonance imaging, and a 9.4T scanner with a small bore magnet for MRI with rodent models. Delaware State University established a Cell Electrophysiology Core Facility to provide patch clamp, multi-electrode, and automated patch clamp services with cells and tissue slices to help neuroscience investigators answer their research questions.

Our Phase III project will strengthen both our center and neuroscience research in Delaware by transitioning the core resources and biomedical research activities of our Neuroscience Center into independence and sustainability. The overarching scientific goal of our Neuroscience Center is to bring together and support neuroscientists working at multiple scales, from human subjects to rodent and invertebrate models, to improve our understanding of the dynamic function of the brain.

During Phase III, we will pursue three specific aims for our center:

1) Involving a new group of investigators in the center's integrated mentoring and professional development program with a pilot grant program that will help junior faculty become independent, externally-funded researchers.

2) Strengthening the research infrastructure and capacity in Delaware by supporting our research core facilities to transition to sustainability.

3) Developing the Delaware Center for Neuroscience Research as a supportive, sustainable scientific community focused on investigating dynamic structure-function relationships in the brain.

Continuing this COBRE program will have two significant long-term benefits. First, we will build on our success to support more Delaware neuroscientists to achieve NIH funding for their research on understanding the brain. Second, as the only COBRE based at a historically-black institution, our project has a uniquely significant impact in supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the IDEA program and biomedical research in general.

Delaware State University

NOT APPLICABLE

93.859 - Biomedical Research and Research Training

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) [HHS - NIH]

Dover, Delaware 199012202 United States

Single Zip Code

Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) (PA-20-272)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 273% from $1,146,083 to $4,278,828.