P30GM154608

Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules - obesity and its co-morbidities are major threats to the health of Americans. In less than 20 years, the prevalence of obesity increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%.

The mission of the Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules (NPOD) is to prevent, treat and cure obesity and co-morbidities with bioactive food compounds. The focus on bioactive food compounds is a unique niche in obesity research and has afforded NPOD with tools to ameliorate obesity and co-morbidities through consumer-friendly, economically feasible adjustments to their diets with a negligible effect on taste.

In phases 1 and 2, NPOD has delivered on NIGMS expectations. NPOD has increased its member base 4.9-fold to 59 faculty in 26 departments (representing 571 trainees) at University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL; lead institution), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC; strategic partner), and University of Nebraska Omaha. This growth was achieved through nine tenure-leading faculty appointments, recruiting faculty not previously engaged in obesity research, and providing a home for obesity researchers who previously worked in isolation. To date, NPOD members have secured nearly $195 million in external research funding, a nearly 36:1 return on institutional investment.

UNL and UNMC have contributed nearly 3500 square feet and $5.5 million to NPOD in phases 1 and 2 with additional institutional commitments in phase 3 and the three years following. Most of the new space was leveraged to develop a new research core (Biomedical and Obesity Research Core, BORC), which provides state-of-the art services for research on obesity and bioactive food compounds unique in Nebraska. BORC has fulfilled 1400 service requests per year that generated $266,335 in annual revenue.

NPOD is poised to continue its strong trajectory toward sustainability in phase 3 and beyond through five pillars of NPOD sustainability: institutional commitments, F&A costs, philanthropy, program project grants, and NIDDK funding through the Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) mechanism. NPOD's pursuit of sustainability will be guided by the following specific aims.

Specific Aim 1: Implement NPOD's succession plan to achieve sustainability through preparing former research project leaders and a new hire to serve as future center director. Specific Aim 2: Lead BORC into long-term sustainability by attracting new users, particularly external users, through continued alignment of services offered with user needs and strengthened promotional activities. Specific Aim 3: Increase NPOD's critical mass of investigators conducting clinically important research through the center's pilot grants program and a new faculty hire in a tenure leading appointment and expertise in electronic health records.

Specific Aim 4: Increase NPOD's revenue by prioritizing pilot grant applications with a high likelihood of leading to large-scale federal funding. Specific Aim 5: Intensify efforts to convert NPOD from an NIGMS-funded COBRE to an NIDDK-funded NORC through nurturing a cohesive group of obesity and nutrition researchers in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska

NOT APPLICABLE

93.859 - Biomedical Research and Research Training

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

Lincoln, Nebraska 68503 United States

Single Zip Code

Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) (Phase 3) - Transitional Centers (P30 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-23-216)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 199% from $1,173,321 to $3,506,374.