US - Brazil Planning Visit for the Investigation of the Innate Immune System of the Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris), Sao Paolo, Brazil, August 2007

0732371Merchant这项美国-巴西计划访问资助将支持Mark Merchant和一名研究生前往巴西，与圣保罗大学的Luciano Verdade博士启动和规划合作。该项目的重点是表征鳄鱼物种的先天免疫系统的各个方面，这些物种只在南美洲可用，从宽嘴凯门鳄开始。具体目标包括血清补体系统的表征，凯门鳄白细胞的抗菌肽，以及对感染的发热反应。计划访问将用于评估接待机构的设施/设备，培训接待科学家进行在P.I实验室开发的分析，并收集样本/组织和初步数据，以支持完整的研究资助提案，其中包括通过路易斯安那州NSF/ epscor赞助的公共宣传科学计划；与路易斯·斯托克斯-路易斯安那州少数民族参与项目（LAMP）合作，为未被充分代表的少数民族提供研究机会；并与经济弱势群体暑期体验项目（SEED）和上进项目建立伙伴关系，为社会经济困难的当地高中生提供研究机会和教师指导。

0732371MerchantThis U.S. Brazil Planning Visit grant will support Mark Merchant and a graduate student to travel to Brazil in order to initiate and plan a collaboration with Dr. Luciano Verdade at the University of Sao Paolo. The focus of the project is the characterization of aspects of the innate immune system of species of Crocodilians that are only available in South America, starting with the broad-snouted caiman. Specific goals include the characterization of the serum complement system, the antimicrobial peptides of the caiman leukocytes, and the febrile response to infection. The planning visit will be used to assess the facilities/equipment of the host institution, train the host scientists to conduct the assays developed in the laboratory of the P.I., and collect samples/tissues and preliminary data to support a full research grant proposal that would include public outreach through the Louisiana NSF/EPSCoR-sponsored Speaking of Science program; a partnership with the Louis Stokes-Louisiana Minority Participation Program (LAMP) to provide research opportunities for underrepresented minorities; and a partnership with the Summer Experience for Economically Disadvantaged (SEED) and Upward Bound programs to provide research opportunities and faculty-mentoring for socio-economically challenged local high school students.