INBRE RESEARCH CORE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Delaware INBRE Annual Progress Report (APR) 2006 Grant No. 2P20RR016472-2006 Research Core Core Objective: Strengthen the biomedical research capability in the Delaware INBRE network, through pilot research grants, mentoring, and access to infrastructure. Overview Report of the INBRE Research Committee Dr. Roberta F. Colman, UD Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chair The INBRE Research Committee is charged with providing guidance and research expertise to help the program meet its biomedical research goals. The committee is broadly representative of the state-wide institutions involved in the Delaware INBRE. In addition to Roberta F. Colman as Chair, the current members are: Brian Little and Nicholas Petrelli - Christiana Care Health System Tommy Frederick and Gus Ofosu - Delaware State University Joan Barber and Ray Lynch - Delaware Technical & Community College Vicky Funanage - Nemours Biomedical Research Abraham Lenhoff, Lisa Plowfield, and Karl Steiner - University of Delaware Bette Coplan, Paul DeGategno, and Malcolm D¿Souza, and Jonathan Kidd - Wesley College The second year of INBRE research involved two broad categories of projects: 1.) The completion of two-year mentored research grants by currently funded faculty; and 2.) The selection of a new cohort of INBRE grantees, whose research will begin June 1, 2006, shortly after the start of INBRE Year 3. Currently funded Grantees Research Meetings ¿ Oct. 19-20, 2005 EAB Meeting and Poster Session INBRE-funded researchers had the opportunity to present their research and talk with members of the INBRE External Advisory Board (EAB), the first time that the Board had an opportunity to meet network investigators in person. Faculty also involved their graduate students and research associates in the presentation, and undergraduate researchers were invited in a separate, special session. These sessions were characterized by informal, stimulating discussions. March 27-28, 2006 EAB Meeting and Investigator Presentations The scheduled March 27-28 External Advisory Board meeting will feature two separate sessions for INBRE-funded researchers to present their work to the Board. On March 27, the new cohort of INBRE researchers will introduce their projects slated to begin on June 1, 2006. The next day, the currently funded group of investigators will present a summary of work undertaken, and will offer an analysis of their key products, accomplishments, and future directions. Accomplishments of currently funded researchers are detailed in the subproject reports in this document. The group of currently-funded researchers, all junior faculty in the early stages of their careers, were selected for INBRE participation in the spring of 2004. Their grants began in the fall of 2004, and will conclude in the spring of 2006. During this interval, among the five investigators at the more research-intensive University of Delaware, one investigator received an R01, two investigators participated as Co-PIs on COBRE, two investigators received NSF CAREER awards, and one member of the group is PI on three additional NSF grants. Three of the five appear to have good traction toward independence. Two of the five continue to submit proposals toward support for their research areas. During the same period, one INBRE-funded investigator at Delaware State University (DSU) was awarded an NSF RUI with a focus on virology research. Also at DSU, one INBRE-funded investigator accepted a position at another university, and funds for that project have been redirected to a new junior faculty member, with approval from the INBRE EAB and NCRR. A third INBRE-funded investigator had to stop his program in year two due to illness; funds will be reassigned by the INBRE PI. At Christiana Care one investigator has been very actively involved in collaborations with UD and DBI researchers. These collaborations have led to several presentations and one publication. A second investigator decided to leave the INBRE research program due to pregnancy and childbirth. A third investigator accepted a position at another medical center outside the State of Delaware. Some of the funds freed up by these departures have been re-directed to establish a new collaboration with Nemours Biomedical Research, where an active biomedical translational research program is in place. In Year 3, Nemours will be a new partner in the Delaware INBRE. INBRE funding at Wesley College, an undergraduate institution, allowed investigators to pursue summer research that involved undergraduate students, and which led to their participation in several national meetings, and student co-authorship on one publication. Although the direct funding of this first phase of research projects will conclude in June 2006, the Delaware INBRE will continue to support investigators through core center fee waivers. Investigators in the INBRE Network may arrange to use, at no charge, core instrumentation centers including Bioinformatics, Bioimaging, DNA Sequencing and Genotyping, Mass Spectroscopy, Microarray, NMR and Protein Production and Analysis. New Delaware INBRE research solicitation The Delaware INBRE research and administrative leadership recognized an important opportunity to place a sharper research focus for grants provided to researchers in the next three years of the program. The new focus, on basic and translational work in cancer, builds on strengths at the University of Delaware, and the interests of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center at INBRE partner Christiana Care Health System and at Nemours Biomedical Research. The new focus did not eliminate consideration of other types of basic research, but instead offered some common ground upon which to build a more cohesive community among INBRE investigators. In addition, the decision was made to open the call for proposals to both junior and senior investigators. This approach will lead to a stronger group of faculty researchers who can build close collaborations and benefit from each other within the broader goal of establishing a growing biomedical research capability in Delaware. A new round of INBRE-funded grants was announced in October 2005, and the announcements were circulated to Deans and Chairs among Delaware INBRE partners for distribution broadly to faculty. The INBRE RFP, instructions and forms were posted on the DBI website, and DBI staff responded to questions as needed. The new round of INBRE grants was designed to be similar to an NIH R03 in intent, and provided $160k in direct costs over a period of 32 months. Proposals were submitted in December 2005. The INBRE research committee reviewed and scored the 31 proposals submitted. Reviewers used the following set of weighted criteria to score each proposal: ¿ Scientific/ biomedical merit 50% ¿ Contribution to the Delaware cancer initiative. 15% ¿ Undergraduate involvement 10% ¿ Interdisciplinary component. 10% ¿ Inter-institutional component 5% ¿ Use of core centers 5% ¿ Potential to lead to an NIH grant application 5% In January 2006, the committee¿s recommended 13 choices were sent to the EAB for review and approval. In February 2006, the EAB completed the approval process. Based on its experience in the INBRE program during Years 1 & 2, Christiana Care decided that it could best contribute to and benefit from the INBRE program objectives by using some of its funding to support a program at Nemours Biomedical Research and to support one of the junior faculty members at the University of Delaware whose research closely matches the cancer focus of the Helen F. Graham, Cancer Center. Dr. Nicholas Petrelli, Medical Director of the Cancer Center, will serve as the mentor for this project, conducted by Dr. Deni Galileo, and Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware¿s Department of Biological Sciences. This collaboration fits well into a larger plan to establish a Center for Translational Cancer Research (CTCR). The CTCR will be launched as a virtual entity between UD, DBI, Christiana Care and Nemours. Dr. Cindy Farach-Carson, one of the new faculty in INBRE Year 3, will serve as CTCR¿s Founding Director, and recurring funds for CTCR have been included in the Governor¿s budget request for 2007. New INBRE Researchers and Project Titles: University of Delaware: Six 32-month projects: Farach-Carson, M. Cynthia - Professor, Biological Sciences Electrospun Collagen Scaffolds for Development of 3-D Cellular Models for Testing Anti-Neoplastic Agents Galileo, Deni ¿ Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Autocrine Stimulation of Primary and Metastatic Brain Cancer Cells *(Project funded under the Christiana Care budget allocation) Johnston, Murray ¿ Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry Mason, Robert ¿ Director, Cell Science Core, Nemours Proteomic Analysis of Apoptotic Mechanisms in Cancer Kambhamettu, Chandra ¿ Associate Professor, Computer and Information Sciences 3-D Image Analysis Algorithms for Automatic Computation of Ground Glass Opacity of Lung Tumors Panchapakesan, Balaji - Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Nanotechnology for Cancer Detection and Therapeutics Sikes, Robert - Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Role of IGFBP-2 Fragments in Development of Androgen Insensitive Prostate Cancer Delaware State University: Four 32-month projects (plus 1 continuing project): Besong, Samuel A. ¿ Associate Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences Hepatic Lipid Metabolism and Gene Expression in Hen DiMaria, Peter - Associate Professor, Chemistry RNA Cap Hypermethylases in Microsporidia Harrington, Melissa ¿ Associate Professor, Biology Davis, Leonard ¿ Associate Professor, Biology Pokrajac, Dragoljub ¿ Assistant Professor, Computer & Information Science Investigating the Neurobiology of Sensory Processing and Learning in an Invertebrate Model System Liu, Fengshan ¿ Professor, Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics Analysis of 3-D Breast Surface Deformation during Mammographic Compression Sabrina Brougher ¿ Assistant Professor, Biology *(Continuing Project) Characterization of Surfactant Protein Expression in Avian Lung as a Model for Upper Respiratory Disease in Humans Wesley College: Three one-year projects: D'Souza, Malcolm ¿ Professor, Chemistry Extent of Nucleophilic Participation in Acyl, Sulfonyl and Sulfamoyl Halides Everett, Lynn ¿ Associate Professor, Biology Genetic Diversity in Borrelia burgdorferi Kidd, Jonathan ¿ Professor, Biology Curran, Kathleen ¿ Associate Professor, Biology Distribution of Lyme Disease and Other Tick-borne Diseases in Del