Institute for Biomedical and Health Disparities Research

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this proposal is to build on previous RCMI support and develop an Institute for Biomedical and Health Disparities Research at the largest single campus HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in the nation, TSU. The Institute will continue to serve as TSU's premier research infrastructure building entity and will help TSU achieve its strategic research vision, while meeting the national need to address and ease health disparities involving cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, AIDS, and many other diseases. The Institute's goals for research are to become a leader and gain national prominence in one or more areas of biomedical and health disparities research. The infrastructure proposed in this application will provide TSU researchers with the research resources they need to make major basic science discoveries that may lead to the identification of novel genes or proteins involved in a disease process. These discoveries may increase the potential of these researchers to develop novel drugs and/or systems to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure a disease. TSU's strategic research vision for the next decade includes leadership in providing a diverse, highly competitive, and well trained cadre of biomedical researchers; providing state-of-the-art research facilities for the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research; creating new graduate degree programs in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences; constructing a new 157,000 sq. ft, $40 million Science Building; developing highly productive research collaborations at TSU and elsewhere; creating multiple endowed professorships and Chairs; and achieving national recognition in one or more areas of environmental toxicology, biomedical, or health disparities research. The proposed Institute takes into account the advances in scientific research technology, and as such is requesting substantial support that will be needed to fast forward TSU to this level. To achieve the aforementioned goals and to accelerate discovery and translation of research to patients, we propose to create core facilities in biomarker and biosensor technology; computational research; molecular biology and tissue engineering; and proteomics and functional genomics. Further, we will recruit two new established investigators; continue to develop the five existing faculty hired under the current RCMI program; conduct a mentored student development program; increase the average annual number of peer-reviewed publications from 15 to 20; increase the average number of grant application submissions from 28 to 50; and double the annual number of competitive extramural biomedical research awards from the NIH and other granting agencies from 16 to 32. NCRR's continued support of the proposed Institute will help to leverage its investment by providing state-of-the-art infrastructure that will enable TSU investigators to compete with scientists at other institutions to obtain support for the conduct of biomedical and/or behavioral research relevant to the mission of the U.S. Public Health Service. By investing in this research infrastructure building effort at TSU, the NCRR will have a strong partner in its effort to expand the capability for research in the health sciences and contribute to national biomedical research capability.