Coordinating Center for Beta Cell Biology Consortium

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This application is a response to NOT-DK-04-501 and a letter RFA for Vanderbilt University to continue to serve as the Coordinating Center (CC) for the Beta Cell Biology Consortium (BCBC), a team science initiative that has been in existence since September 2001. The mission of the BCBC, as defined by RFA DK-01-014, is to facilitate interdisciplinary approaches that will advance our understanding of pancreatic islet development and function with the long-term goal of developing a cell-based therapy for insulin delivery. In the second phase of the BCBC, whose objectives have been defined by RFAs DK-04-017 and DK-04-018 as well as the letter RFA to Vanderbilt, the BCBC will undertake a variety of investigator-initiated studies while also placing a major emphasis on reagent-generating activities. Thus, for this team of scientists to be able to generate new antibodies and genetically modified mice, while also maintaining focus on the scientific needs that lie at the heart of determining how to develop a cell-based therapy for insulin delivery, a CC has been developed over the past two years. The CC is now fully positioned to provide financial, organizational, and informatic support for the wide variety of scientific activities that will be encompassed by the BCBC. The primary objectives of the CC are to 1) facilitate interactions and communication by organizing meetings and retreats, distributing announcements, and maintaining a website with databases of vital research resources; 2) support research within the BCBC by enriching existing core facilities and developing new cores; 3) to jumpstart new research by young investigators through a Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Grant Program; and 4) to bring different groups of scientists together within the BCBC by establishing a Program of Collaborative Bridging Projects. It is expected that, through a combination of both new and currently existing programs and activities, the CC will continue to stimulate participating scientists to develop new reagents and strategies that will serve as a platform for further discovery and progress within the beta cell biology field.