P-30-CORE GRANT FOR VISION RESEARCH

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The Core Grant for Vision Research is the cornerstone of the vision science research program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The primary goal of the Core Grant is to facilitate the ongoing high quality vision research at UIC and neighboring institutions in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This support will benefit investigators in their quest to elucidate the basic mechanisms that underlie the normal and abnormal functioning of the eye and visual system. Additionally, the grant is intended to enhance and expand the inter- and intra-departmental and inter-institutional collaborations of our vision researchers in order to fully realize the synergystic benefits of conducting research in an interdisciplinary environment. Building on our strengths, the Core Grant modules have been expanded to accommodate the increasing role of new technologies and methodologies in ophthalmic research, especially in the areas of cellular and molecular biology, imaging, computation, and animal models of human eye diseases. Modules are directed by NEI-funded investigators who, together with experienced technical staff, provide services that cannot be supported otherwise by individual research grants. The Core Grant modules are: (i) The Imaging and Computational Analysis Module. This module will provide state-of-the-art imaging instrumentation, technical expertise, computer programming and support to enable investigators to incorporate the latest advances in imaging and computational technologies into their research programs, (ii) The Cellular and Molecular Biology Module. This module will provide essential tissue culture and histology expertise and facilities to fulfill investigators' fundamental needs for cell biology studies, as well as sophisticated equipment and technical expertise for modern molecular and biochemical investigations. i) The Instrument Shop and Animal Services Module. This module will assist vision researchers with the custom design, construction, and maintenance of novel instruments to facilitate their studies and will provide technical expertise and surgical facilities to investigators conducting animal experiments. The three proposed modules will make state-of-the-art core facilities available to our researchers, fostering an integration of multiple approaches for research programs ranging from studies of basic cellular and molecular mechanisms, to the pathogenesis of blinding eye diseases and the translation from bench to bedside. The research programs of our investigators, including a large number of vision scientists with diverse backgrounds and specialties, reflect a multidisciplinary approach to translational vision research and cross-fertilization between basic science and clinical disciplines. The uninterrupted support of the Core Grant is vital to the continuation and expansion of the cutting edge and dynamic research and the facilitation of interdisciplinary collaborations among vision researchers in our group.