Pathophysiological Signaling in Neurodegenerative Disorders

描述(申请人提供)：本次续签申请的目的是通过将我们的生物医学研究卓越中心(Cobre)的重点放在“神经退行性疾病中的病理生理信号”上，来增强和扩大我们阐明阿尔茨海默氏症、帕金森氏病和癫痫等破坏性神经疾病的原因和确定潜在治疗方法的能力。利用分子/遗传学、药理学、电生理、生化和系统生物学的方法，我们提出了五个项目，研究离子通道和受体、第二信使特别是以脂质为基础的亚细胞细胞器、基因转录和蛋白质翻译等信号系统在各种神经退行性疾病模型系统中的参与。我们的长期目标是发展和支持一个可扩展和可持续的神经科学研究人员团队，他们专注于确定导致神经退行性疾病的机制，并发现预防和治疗神经退行性疾病的新策略。该小组将继续保持高度的互动性和协作性，并在联合国组织迈向成为卡内基最高水平的研究型学术机构的目标之际，继续在领导其文化变革方面发挥关键作用。我们的具体目标是：(1)支持成功的独立研究项目，并通过广泛的指导和资助五个研究项目和较小的试点赠款，提高我们的Cobre研究人员获得外部资助的竞争力。(2)通过增加我们对科布雷核心设施的支持，加强联合国组织的研究基础设施。这将通过支付服务合同费用和技术人员工资来实现。(3)通过招聘至少两名新的神经科学教员来提高我们的竞争力。工发组织将通过招聘更多的教员来支持这一群体的进一步发展，这将增强我们在分子/遗传学和/或蛋白质组学领域的能力。(4)在一个更大的红河神经科学倡议/研究所的赞助下，建立我们在国内和国际上公认的神经科学研究卓越中心。这次持续更新的成功竞争将确保这个团体获得个人、团体和培训赠款的成功，因为我们享有联合国组织行政部门的支持，我们一直很成功，我们的科学是杰出的，所有指标都表明我们的团体是可扩展和可持续的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this renewal application is to enhance and expand our ability to elucidate causes of and identify potential treatments for such devastating neurological disorders as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy by focusing our Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on the "Pathophysiological Signaling in Neurodegenerative Diseases". Using molecular/genetic, pharmacological, electrophysiological, biochemical and systems biology approaches we have proposed five projects that study the involvement of such signaling systems as ion channels and receptors, second messengers especially those lipid-based, subcellular organelles, gene transcription and protein translation in various model systems for neurodegenerative diseases. Our long term goal is to develop and support a scalable and sustainable group of neuroscience researchers who are focused to determine mechanisms causing, and to discover novel strategies to prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases. This group will continue to be highly interactive and collaborative and will continue to play a role critical to leading UNO through its culture change as it approaches its goal of becoming a highest-level Carnegie research-based academic institution. Our specific aims are: (1) Support successful independent research projects and increase the competitiveness of our COBRE investigators for extramural grants through extensive mentorship and by funding five research projects and smaller pilot grants. (2) Enhance the research infrastructure at UNO by increasing our support for our COBRE core facilities. This will be accomplished by covering the costs of service contracts and salaries for technical personnel. (3) Increase our competitiveness by hiring at least two new neuroscience faculty members. UNO will support the further development of this group by hiring additional faculty that will enhance our capabilities in the areas of molecular/genetics and/or proteomics. (4) Establish our nationally and internationally recognized Center of Neuroscience Research Excellence under the auspices of a much larger Red River Neuroscience Initiative/Institute. Successful competition for this continuing renewal will ensure the success of this group receiving individual, group and training grants because we enjoy the support of UNO administration, we have been successful, our science is outstanding and all indicators suggest that our group is both scalable and sustainable.