Interdepartmental Neuroscience Center

描述（由申请人提供）： 这项申请的目标是建立核心设施，以支持在马萨诸塞州总医院的跨部门神经科学中心的基础科学研究。该中心由来自四个部门的教师组成，他们在基础和应用神经科学方面有共同的兴趣。该中心的重点是各种神经系统疾病的病因，诊断和治疗，包括儿童发病的神经系统疾病，创伤/缺血性脑和脊髓损伤，恶性和良性肿瘤生长，疼痛和神经退行性疾病的病理生理学。自1988年中心成立以来，该中心的研究基地已大大扩大。与此同时，对共用设备和设施的需求也同样强劲和迅速地增长。为应对这一严重短缺，该中心的调查人员筹集了机构和外部资金，以建立一些核心服务。然而，这些服务远远不能满足不断增长的需求。为了响应NINDS计划公告，对NINDS资助的实验室的需求进行了详细调查，并对中心现有的共享设备和设施进行了评估。基于这些评估并考虑到中心教师的共同需求、技术专长和优势，本申请寻求建立以下4个核心设施：A）单克隆抗体生产，B）显微镜和图像分析，C）载体开发和生产，以及D）核酸定量。一个行政核心，以支持该中心，确保遵守NINDS的指导方针，定期评估核心的利用率和性能也被提出。这些核心将根据NINDS计划的要求，满足15个NINDS资助项目以及其他项目的需求。这些核心将支持正在进行的研究，并通过（i）提供单个实验室无法提供的服务，设备和专业知识以及（ii）促进中心研究人员之间的协同互动来刺激新技术的开发。核心不以任何方式与现有的共享设施重叠或重复。提出了一个有效和公平分配服务的详细计划。已获得以研究空间、设备购置资金和人员工资等形式提供的机构支助。核心设施计划将提供全面和综合的资源，以刺激和加强整个神经科学中心的研究活动。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this application is to establish core facilities to support basic science research at the Massachusetts General Hospital's Interdepartmental Neuroscience Center. The Center consists of faculty from four departments with shared interests in basic and applied neuroscience. The Center's focus is on the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of neurological disorders including neurological disorders of childhood onset, traumatic/ischemic brain and spinal cord injury, malignant and benign tumor growth, pathophysiology of pain and neurodegenerative diseases. The research base at the Center has grown enormously since the Center's inception in 1988. The growth is accompanied by an equally strong and rapid increase in demand for shared equipment and facilities. In response to this critical shortage, the Center's investigators have raised institutional and external funding to establish some core services. However, those services fall considerably short of the continually rising demand. In response to the NINDS Program Announcement, a detailed survey of the needs of NINDS-funded laboratories was conducted and an evaluation of existing shared equipment and facilities at the Center was undertaken. Based on those evaluations and taking into account the shared needs, technical expertise and strengths of the Center's faculty, the present application seeks to establish the following 4 core facilities: A) Monoclonal antibody production, B) Microscopy and image analysis, C) Vector development and production, and D) Nucleic acid quantitation. An administrative core to support the Center by ensuring adherence to NINDS guidelines, periodically evaluating core utilization and performance is also proposed. The cores will serve the needs of 15 NINDS-funded projects as well as other projects, as per the NINDS Program requirements. The cores will support ongoing research and stimulate development of novel technology by (i) offering service, equipment and expertise not available in individual laboratories and (ii) fostering synergistic interactions among the Center's investigators. The cores do not overlap with or duplicate in any way existing shared facilities. A detailed plan for efficient and equitable dispensation of services is proposed. Institutional support in the form of research space, funding for equipment purchase and personnel salary has been secured. The core facilities program will offer comprehensive and integrated resources to stimulate and strengthen research activity throughout the Neuroscience Center.