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PROGRAM OVERVIEW
A COBRE award to the College of
Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at Kansas State University (KSU) provides the
resources necessary to elevate the research programs of junior basic
researchers and clinician-scientists at this and other Kansas
institutions to become successful at obtaining independent NIH funding.
The theme of the COBRE is epithelial function in health and disease; its
associated projects center on epithelial cell physiology or pathophysiology and provide a strong foundation for translational
research.
Epithelia are the layers of cells in the body that form barriers between
compartments, and thus are important components of most body organs.
Organ epithelia include the cell linings of the lungs, stomach, skin,
kidneys, colon and reproductive tracts, as well as all glands. An
understanding of the function these epithelial cells serve in health
will give us a better understanding of disease states and a basis on
which to devise rational therapies.
The COBRE is comprised of seven teams of junior faculty members and mentors in the KSU CVM, and collaborating departments at KSU, KU and KUMC. Over the last 5 years, COBRE participant progress resulted in 54 publications, and 218 presentations and abstracts related to COBRE activities.
To enhance COBRE programmatic success, three core facilities have been
established: a state-of-the-art confocal microscope facility; a
molecular biology support facility; and an epithelial electrophysiology
facility. The confocal microfluorometry and microscopy,
molecular biology support, and epithelial electrophysiology facilities are fully operational. The vigorous development of this epithelial research community
is a hallmark of the success of the COBRE program.
The ultimate goal of the COBRE program is to move junior faculty members
to the level of independent NIH-funded investigator as rapidly as
possible. To this end, the Director of this COBRE, along with the other
mentors and advisory committee members, participates in a structured
program of interdisciplinary interactions in video-conferenced seminars
and intensive individual guidance.
Though the KSU CVM administration is highly supportive of its research
and clinical faculty, this COBRE provides the financial means and the
structured program necessary to fully realize the “promise” of its
talented junior faculty. |