FACILITY CONSTRUCTION EXPANSION- MONNELL CHEMICAL SENSES

描述（由申请人提供）：

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Expansion of the Monell Chemical Senses Center (MCSC), chartered in 1968 as a non-profit scientific research institute, is today the world's leader in basic and clinical studies of the chemical senses: taste, olfaction and chemical irritation. National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that in the United States of America (USA), alterations or loss of the chemical senses can be severe enough to have six million individuals seek medical attention during their lifetime. The Center's only building is now completely occupied, limiting the steady growth that has been characteristic of the organization. Two programs showing significant growth - molecular biology and human sensory perception currently have highly productive investigators who have multiple NIH awards with no laboratories available for new staff nor for expansion of existing projects. In order to further an understanding of the chemical senses and expand the Center's research outlook, this application seeks funds to: 1) renovate space to create an 7,200 sq. ft. facility for Chemosensory Molecular Genomics and Proteomics; 2) expand by 7,200 sq. ft, and renovate the Center's Human Chemosensory Research Facility; and 3) provide adequate heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems to support the critical needs of these research endeavors. The Center is a unique, focused entity devoted exclusively to outstanding biomedical and behavioral research and training. This proposed expansion will strengthen the institute, improve public health, and benefit a large cross-section of the scientific community. Four million dollars in National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) funding, matched by more than $4 million in Monell funding, are requested to construct a Chemosensory Molecular Genomics and Proteomics Facility and a Human Chemosensory Research Facility.