CORE CENTER FOR VISION RESEARCH

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Continued support is sought for the Core Center for Vision Research at the University of Michigan. Support for five modules is requested: 1) an Electronics and Computer Module for designing and constructing electronic equipment and providing assistance with research computers and their interfaces with laboratory instruments, staffed by an electronics engineer; 2) a Functional Assessment Module for the imaging of ocular structures and the evaluation of ocular function in living animals, staffed by a technician; 3) an Instrument Shop Module, for designing and constructing custom mechanical instrumentation and modifying or repairing existing instrumentation, staffed by an instrument maker; 4) a Molecular Biology Module for providing access to instrumentation and services necessary for molecular biology as well as assistance with the analysis of microarray and bioinformatics data, staffed by a technician and a statistical geneticist; and 5) a Morphology and Imaging Module for providing access to state-of-the-art equipment and expert personnel for the processing of ocular tissues, microscopy (light, wide-field fluorescence, and confocal), and image analysis, staffed by a technician. The specific aims of the Core Center for Vision Research at the University of Michigan are to enhance the research environment for vision scientists, facilitate collaborative studies of the visual system and its diseases, and expand vision research on this campus to bring the skills and perspectives of non-vision scientists to bear on research issues of the visual system. The 24 participating investigators currently hold 13 NEI R01 grants as well as 6 other NEI research grants. The research interests of these investigators are diverse and include electrophysiology, neurobiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, molecular genetics, developmental biology, biostatistics, immunology, and clinical ophthalmology. The Core Center is housed within the W.K. Kellogg Eye center, a 300,000 sq. ft. building complex containing space dedicated to each of the modules, plus state-of-the-art facilities for basic and clinical research.