COBRE in Sensory Neuroscience

描述(由申请人提供)： 最初的科布雷拨款在西弗吉尼亚大学建立了感觉神经科学研究中心(SNRC)，拥有一个由独立调查人员组成的多学科核心。科布雷的这种支持刺激了机构对新的终身教职跟踪工资线的承诺，并为SNRC的扩展建设了现代化的实验室空间，使SNRC的调查人员能够获得R01资金。我们请求Cobre的第二阶段支持，以完成一个自给自足的研究企业的发展，从而增加我们机构的研究能力。 我们提出了四个具体目标。 目标1是实现足够数量的独立资助科学家。在目前的资金期间，我们已经从4名西弗吉尼亚大学的调查人员增加到10名。在这项申请中，其中5名科学家提出了新的项目，以帮助过渡到独立的R01资助。在拟议的拨款支持下，我们将通过招募知名科学家，特别是临床医生研究人员，进一步扩大到14名教职员工，以拓宽我们对感觉障碍机制的研究。 目标2是通过促进教员之间的新合作来促进对感觉系统的理解，从而将新的研究人员整合到该中心。最近和计划招聘的人员扩大了我们工作的集体范围，增加了新的技术专长，为科学互动提供了独特的机会。 目标3是通过扩展核心设施来扩大机构研究基础设施。要求支持SNRC用于研究和行政活动的核心设施、管理这些核心的人员，以及对SNRC研究工作至关重要的机构核心设施的部分支持。 目标4是将SNRC转变为独立状态。在Cobre的进一步支持下，我们将获得R01资金的强大基础，以支持研究核心和计划项目赠款的申请。我们的健康科学中心实施了一项战略研究计划，为基础设施和教师招聘提供资源，并增加合格研究生的数量，以在我们的实验室培训和支持我们的研究计划。 提出了包括四个感觉系统(听觉、嗅觉、体感和视觉)的五个研究项目。这些项目反映了SNRC的多学科方法，其中包括从无脊椎动物到人类的各种物种的感觉模式和多层次分析(从分子到系统)的比较。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The initial COBRE grant established the Sensory Neuroscience Research Center (SNRC) with a multidisciplinary nucleus of independent investigators at West Virginia University. This COBRE support stimulated institutional commitments for new tenure-track salary lines and the construction of modern laboratory space for SNRC expansion and enabled SNRC investigators to obtain R01 funding. We request a second phase of COBRE support to complete the development of a self-sustaining research enterprise, and thereby increase the research capacity of our institution. We propose 4 specific aims. Aim 1 is to achieve a critical mass of independently funded scientists. We have grown from 4 to 10 WVU investigators during the current funding period. In this application, 5 of these scientists have proposed new projects to aid transition to independent R01 funding. With proposed grant support we will further expand to 14 faculty members by recruiting established scientists, especially clinician investigators to broaden our studies of mechanisms of sensory disorders. Aim 2 is to advance understanding of sensory systems by fostering new collaborations among faculty, thereby integrating new investigators into the Center. Recent and projected recruits extend the collective scope of our work and add new technical expertise that underlies unique opportunities for scientific interaction. Aim 3 is to expand institutional research infrastructure through expansion of core facilities. Support is requested for SNRC core facilities for research and administrative activities, personnel to administer these cores, and partial support for institutional core facilities that are central to SNRC research efforts. Aim 4 is to transition the SNRC to independent status. With further COBRE support, we will obtain a strong base of R01 funding that underpins applications for research core and program project grants. Our Health Sciences Center has implemented a strategic research plan to provide resources for infrastructure and faculty recruitment and increase the number of qualified graduate students to train in our laboratories and support our research programs. Five research projects encompassing four sensory systems (auditory, olfactory, somatosensory, and visual) are proposed. These projects reflect the multidisciplinary approach of SNRC, which includes the comparison across sensory modalities and multiple levels of analysis (molecular to systems), in species ranging from invertebrates through humans.