Project Description

A major long-term goal of the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus is to increase investigation in the area of molecular neuroscience. This project contribute to that objective by establishing a Neurogenetics Core Facility at the Institute of Neurobiology

• (Specific Aim 1). This facility will increase the research capabilities of the present faculty and will serve as a resource for the further development of the Institute. It will be located adjacent to, and will complement the existing RCMI Molecular Neurobiology Core Facility (MNCF) of the Institute. A key component of this aim will be to recruit a neurogeneticist to lead the facility. Funds will be used to obtain major shared instrumentation, equip the Neurogenetics Core and the lab of the new investigator, and support collaborations in the areas of neurogenetics and neurogenomics. They will also be used to develop collaborative investigation between Institute investigators and outside researchers. The Molecular Neurobiology Core Facility, established under the previous RCMI initiative, will also be further developed and integrated with the new unit
  
• (Specific Aim 2). This facility has been used extensively by the participants in this proposal and is considered a vital asset for their research. All molecular biology at the Institute centers on this facility, and it is anticipated that it will also be an essential resource for investigation in neurogenetics. Finally, this activity will support the communications systems that link the Institute with research groups within and outside of Puerto Rico
  
• (Specific Aim 3). This will be accomplished by maintaining high speed internet connections, implementing video conferencing capabilities, and supporting symposia that facilitate collaborations with outside scientists. Together, these objectives will enhance existing resources and will add powerful new research and training capabilities to the Institute of Neurobiology. Moreover, they will promote stronger links between current investigation in molecular neuroscience and emerging translational initiatives at the UPR Medical Sciences Campus. These changes are required to meet the challenges of an evolving environment for Neuroscience research