Support for Enhancement Excellence in Research at UPR-RP

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This supplemental application requests the addition of four new projects to the SCORE Program currently active at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras. The projects included are three from the Department of Biology and one from Chemistry. One from Biology (Maldonado) and another from Chemistry (Rodriguez) are revised applications according to the critiques reported in the summary statement for our SCORE application. Another is presented from a recently hired microbiologist (Dominguez) and the other is from an experienced investigator that participated in the previous grant cycle (Renaud). All together complement biomedical research efforts at UPR-RP that have been ongoing for over 32 years under the auspicies of the MBRS program and specifically, strengthen the present SCORE Program which groups 14 regular and 3 pilot projects (10 in Chemistry, 5 in Biology and 2 in Mathematics). Together these new projects aim to conduct competitive research in areas related to: biodemographic diversity of Helicobacter pylori in Latin America (Dominguez), the role of glutamate in drug conditioning (Maldonado), the effect of opiate withdrawal on human macrophages (Renaud), and novel anticancer and antibacterial drugs from Caribbean marine invertebrates (Rodriguez). These investigations are to be sustained by an ongoing administrative project and by technical and support personnel that include four laboratory technicians and three postdoctoral associates. This enhanced SCORE Program will provide this institution first-rate research and development opportunities as well as a fully supportive research atmosphere and will thus help the participating faculty to increase their biomedical research productivity, scientific competitiveness and peer recognition. Research activities in the program also enhance the existing MARC U*STAR Program and the MBRS-RISE Program at this institution. Progress in the specific aims of each new project and in the overall aims of the program will be evaluated yearly through an established Evaluation Plan.