Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (KIDDRC)

University Of Kansas Lawrence, Lawrence KS

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Core Support for five years is requested for the competitive renewal of the Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (KIDDRC). The KIDDRC, now in its 44th year, has played a major international role in generating highly effective biobehavioral interventions aimed at the causes, prevention, and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities and related secondary conditions, and in delineating basic knowledge of the underlying biology of typical and atypical development. Since its inception, the Center has supported a balanced portfolio of behavioral, biological, and biobehavioral research. Building on its rich history, a unique contribution of the Center in the future will be the development of biologically-informed interventions and treatments. The mission of the KIDDRC is to support high quality basic and applied research relevant to the causes and prevention of intellectual and developmental disabilities and the prevention and remediation of associated secondary conditions. To achieve this mission, the KIDDRC is designed to accomplish three objectives. First, to develop and support new interdisciplinary basic and applied research initiatives directly relevant to the Center's mission, bringing together scientists across the Kansas Center as well as promoting collaborative ventures with researchers at other institutions. Second, to provide cost-effective, scientifically generative, state of the art core services, resources, and facilities that directly enhance the quality and impact of science produced by center investigators and their collaborators. Third, to provide highly efficient, cost-effective systems for planning, developing, managing, coordinating, and disseminating research activities associated with the center. The KIDDRC's research program is organized around four integrated thematic areas that each reflects a topic of central importance to IDD, comports with our scientific directions, and draws upon our research strengths. These themes are: 1) language, communication, and cognition of IDD; 2) risk, prevention, and intervention in IDD; 3) neurobiology of IDD; 4) cellular and molecular biology of early development. To coordinate and support the research activities of the 84 investigators and co-investigators and 88 research projects associated with these themes, four core units are proposed: a) Communication and Administration; b) Biobehavioral Measurement; c) Research Design and Analysis; d) Integrative Imaging.