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About Us The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the NIH awarded a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant to the Center for Translational Neuroscience. This $15 million, ten year award is aimed at mentoring clinician scientists, in collaboration with basic scientists, to help them reach nationally competitive levels in NIH grant support. The COBRE programs at the CTN have oversight from an External Advisory Committee made up of established scientists from across the country, an Internal Advisory Committee made up of department chairs, and includes Administrative and Experimental Core Facilities, and a Career Development Program. A number of established and well-funded investigators have agreed to serve as Mentors for young clinician investigators at the CTN.
During the award, we generated >$22 million in new grants to investigators and recruits, and published >300 articles or chapters and >300 abstracts or presentations. We devised a new and effective treatment for tinnitus, developed a device as well as a new drug treatment for hyperreflexia and spasticity after spinal cord injury, we developed a cure (elimination of symptoms) for spatial neglect, discovered a novel mechanism for sleep-wake control that will also impact the mechanisms behind anesthesia, and have begun to decrease the death rate among low birth weight babies in the State. However, we needed an additional period of support in order to increase our critical mass of investigators, secure PPG and P50 awards, graduate from the program, and become an independent Center for Translational Neuroscience. Over the next 5 years, we will 1) strengthen and augment translational neuroscience research through mentoring promising Junior clinician and basic scientists by established, dedicated senior Mentors, 2) expand the research programs of Early career investigators by forming research teams including successful, previously supported investigators and new Junior investigators mentored by multiple established senior investigators, 3) enhance the infrastructure critical for expanding translational neuroscience research by supporting, upgrading and expanding our Core Facilities, 4) maintain our successful Career Development Program for junior investigators and institute a new Leadership Program for established, early career, and junior researchers, who will be required to meet specific performance milestones, and 5) develop a strategy to "graduate" from COBRE support that will ensure the continuity of the CTN. The Research Plan proposed is designed to meet these aims and create a permanent Center for Translational Neuroscience. Given the successes outlined, and despite dramatic changes in funding availability, we are confident that we will meet our goals in achieving "graduation" from this program. We look forward to continuing to mentor additional promising clinician and basic scientists, and help improve health care for our citizens. Research Projects:
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