Interdepartmental Neuroscience Center

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The goal of this application is to renew Core facilities to support neuroscience research at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The MGH Interdepartmental Neuroscience Center consists of about 50 faculty with shared interests in basic and applied neuroscience. The focus of the research is on high-impact, national priority areas such as neurodegenerative diseases, developmental neurological disorders, movement disorders, traumatic/ischemic brain and spinal cord injury, brain tumors, pain, drug addiction, gene therapy and basic neuroscience. The research base at the Center has grown enormously since the Center's inception in 1988. The growth is accompanied by an equally strong and rapid increase in demand for shared equipment and facilities. In response to this critical shortage, the Center's investigators have raised institutional and external funding to develop some core services. In 2003, with help from the NINDS P30 award a new core facilities program was established. This program has become extremely valuable for sustaining neuroscience research, especially that of new investigators and for fostering new collaborations. The present application seeks to renew support for this core facilities program. We conducted detailed surveys of the needs of NINDS-funded laboratories and evaluated utilization of the existing core resources. Based on the results of the surveys and evaluations, we seek support to renew and enhance the following cores: A) Microscopy and image analysis, B) Nucleic acid quantitation and C) Viral vector development and production. An administrative core to support the program is also proposed. The cores will serve the needs of 90 NINDS funded projects and also non-NINDS funded projects as per program guidelines. The Cores are designed to support ongoing research, especially of our junior faculty, and to stimulate development of novel technology and research by a) offering service, equipment and expertise not available in individual laboratories and b) fostering synergistic interactions among the investigators. A detailed plan for efficient and equitable dispensation of services is proposed. The Cores have received institutional commitment of funds for equipment, salary and space and do not duplicate existing shared facilities.