PROGRAM AIMS

Cardiovascular disease remains the primary cause of morbidity and mortality for United States citizens, as well as people across the globe. Moreover, the burden of cardiovascular disease in Louisiana is stark leading to a quarter of all deaths in the state. Research into cardiovascular pathophysiology is an important priority at LSU Health Shreveport with the recently formed Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS). The CCDS has enabled nucleation of campus cardiovascular research through various programs and initiatives.

However, specific efforts that facilitate junior faculty research program funding and advances in professional development remain underdeveloped. The objective of this COBRE Center for Redox Biology and Cardiovascular Disease is to establish a nationally recognized research and training program that develops federally funded junior faculty research while revealing new insights into cardiovascular pathology. The major goals of this COBRE program are to: 1) establish a strong and consistent mentorship and professional development program, 2) establish advanced research core facilities, and 3) advance mechanistic understanding of redox biology regulation of cardiovascular pathophysiology. Pursuit of the following specific aims will enable successful implementation of the proposed COBRE program.

The specific aims for this COBRE application are:

1. To provide leadership for developing mentoring and training programs, professional development, state of the art research infrastructure to advance scientific excellence in redox biology and cardiovascular disease leading to nationally recognized research discoveries and achievements from the CCDS and LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport.
2. Establish a group of Core facilities including an Administration Core (Core A), an Animal Model & Histology Core (Core B), and a Redox Molecular Signaling Core (Core C) that advance mentorship training and research excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport.
3. To establish and implement advisory committees (both internal and external) that provides guidance to program junior faculty and COBRE leaders.
4. To establish a group of junior faculty projects investigating redox biology mechanisms of cardiovascular disease that will be competitive for independent federal funding.
5. To establish and operate a Pilot Grant Program for promising young investigators currently at the institution, as well as those who are recruited in the future.
6. To establish and execute scientific meetings, research education, and professional development seminars that further scientific excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport and provide advanced training for institutional faculty.
7. To ensure that COBRE Center programs, initiatives, policies and reporting formats are clearly developed and integrated within the institution according to federal granting agency policies and deadlines.