NRI Build-out: Advancing Translational Brain Research

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目标是在简和丹邓肯神经学研究所（NRI）建造3层楼（总计），以加速对大脑和精神疾病的理解和治疗的研究。贝勒医学院（BCM）和德克萨斯儿童医院（TCH）的研究人员在六个国立卫生研究院、HHMI和几个疾病基金会的支持下，一直走在揭示众多神经和神经发育障碍分子遗传学的前沿。这些疾病的优秀动物模型的可用性和几种潜在的可逆性（在小鼠中得到证明）使它们非常适合多学科努力开发治疗方法。BCM和TCH构想了NRI，这是一个连接BCM， TCH和MD Anderson的35万平方英尺的银级leed认证研究机构，是世界上第一个致力于儿童神经系统疾病的研究机构。NRI将通过以下方式促进这类疾病的转化研究：1)将目前从事这些疾病研究的BCM/TCH研究人员集中在一个地方，靠近TCH临床医生；2)提供招聘所需专业知识的空间；3)建立专门为支持这些疾病的转化研究而设计的核心服务（例如，神经生理学、神经病理学、核磁共振/代谢组学、行为学、药理学/临床前药物试验、数学/生物信息学）。TCH为这个项目的第一阶段筹集了大部分资金，完成了一个13层的建筑外壳，并将在2010年底完成1层（行政、会议室）、3层（动物设施）、12层、13层和11层的部分。然而，这不足以使NRI开始发挥应有的作用。为了实现这一目标，我们需要完成：11楼（7025平方英尺），招募三名新教师；10楼（22,705平方英尺）将安置5名从事神经精神疾病研究的BCM教员，并招募3名新教员；第2层（6125平方英尺）：核磁共振代谢组核心空间。我们估计，由于这个建设项目，将维持或创造192个直接协助建设的工作岗位；在未来三年内为nih完成的楼层招募新的pi将在中短期内创造100个工作岗位。根据先前计算医疗中心对休斯顿地区经济影响的数据，我们估计每个NRI员工将间接支持休斯顿地区其他三个工作岗位，并且每投资NRI 1美元可产生1.44美元的地方税收收入。然而，最终，这些毁灭性疾病的治疗方法的发现将恢复生活质量，减轻这些疾病给家庭和社会带来的可怕的经济负担。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this proposal is to build out 3 floors (total) in the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) to accelerate research in understanding and treating disorders of the brain and mind. Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) investigators, through the support of six NIH institutes, HHMI, and several disease foundations, have been at the forefront of unraveling the molecular genetics of numerous neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. The availability of excellent animal models for these disorders and the potential reversibility of several (demonstrated in mice) makes them ideally suited for an intense multidisciplinary effort to develop therapy. BCM and TCH conceived the NRI, a 350,000 sf silver-level LEED-certified research institute connecting BCM, TCH and MD Anderson, to be the first institute in the world devoted to childhood neurological disease. NRI will foster translational research in this class of diseases by 1) locating current BCM/TCH researchers working on these diseases under one roof, near TCH clinicians, 2) providing space to recruit needed expertise, and 3) establishing core services specifically conceived to support translational research in these diseases (e.g., neurophysiology, neuropathology, NMR/metabolomics, behavior, pharmacology/preclinical drug trials, mathematics/bioinformatics). TCH raised money for most of the first phase of this project, completed a 13-floor building shell, and will complete Floors 1 (admin, conference rooms), 3 (animal facility), 12, 13 and part of 11 by late 2010. This is insufficient, however, to allow NRI to begin functioning as it should. To accomplish that, we need to finish: Floor 11 (7025 sf) to recruit three new faculty; Floor 10 (22,705 sf) to relocate five BCM faculty performing neuropsychiatric disease-oriented research and recruit three new faculty; and Floor 2 (6125 sf): space for the NMR Metabolomic Core. As a result of this construction project, we estimate that 192 jobs directly assisting with construction will be maintained or created; recruiting new PIs over the next 3 years to the NIH-finished floors would create 100 jobs in the short-to-intermediate term. Based on previous data calculating the impact of the medical center on the Houston area economy, we estimate that every NRI employee will indirectly support three other jobs in the Houston region, and that every dollar invested in NRI generates $1.44 in local tax revenue. Ultimately, however, the discovery of treatments for these devastating diseases will restore quality of life and reduce their terrible economic burden on families and society.