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A researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center recently received renewal of a $10.9 million Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant is one of the largest UNMC has received.
The grant is a reflection of the success of seven junior investigators at UNMC who, through the support of the CoBRE grant, have obtained their own RO1 grants from the NIH, said Peggy Wheelock, Ph.D., principal investigator of the grant.
“The CoBRE grant we received in 2003 has helped us strengthen biomedical research infrastructure in Nebraska, as well as establish a multi-disciplinary thematic center that enhances the research of the investigators involved as evidenced by the success of these seven junior investigators,” Dr. Wheelock said.
When you’re a new investigator, having just one person to ask for suggestions about the complicated world of grant writing is helpful. Having two high profile researchers as your mentors for five years is unheard of. But that is exactly the winning formula Dr. Wheelock, Ph.D., said helped those seven junior investigators obtain their own funding.
"Teaching one how to be a successful, productive scientist is not a trivial task,” said Paula Turpen, Ph.D., director of research resources at UNMC. “The fact that three of the CoBRE mentors (Robert Lewis, Ph.D., Peggy Wheelock, Ph.D., and Keith Johnson, Ph.D.) have been recognized as UNMC Distinguished Scientists in the past two years only confirms the quality of the Center for Cell Signaling mentors. There is no doubt that the seven new NIH-funded junior faculty will continue to benefit from the guidance they received while participating in the CoBRE program.”
Dr. Wheelock, who is a professor of oral biology, UNMC College of Dentistry, is the director of the Nebraska Center for Cellular Signaling, which was established in 2003 with the initial CoBRE funding. The center focuses on the study of cell signaling and involves multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers.
Researchers from UNMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University Medical Center, lead five research projects within the grant. Each project involves the study of cellular signaling with a focus on its role in producing tumors.
“The grant has allowed us to bring together outstanding junior and senior faculty with similar interests, which greatly enhances the science knowledge and opportunities for collaboration,” Dr. Wheelock said.
One objective of the renewed funding will be pilot projects to further encourage and support collaborative, multi-disciplinary projects, she said.
Steve Caplan, Ph.D., assistant professor, UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is one of the seven researchers who is now working with his own funding because of the support he received through the CoBRE grant.
Dr. Caplan joined the grant in 2004 when Dr. Wheelock selected him for a pilot project. He was later asked to become a project leader and was paired with two mentors: Richard MacDonald, Ph.D., UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Robert Lewis, Ph.D., a professor in the UNMC Eppley Institute.
“They put in a lot of work helping me learn not only how to write better grants, but which study section to submit it to,” Dr. Caplan said. “Peggy also helped, reading through parts of my grant proposals and manuscripts. She really sets the tone for the mentorship part of the grant.”
Dr. Caplan’s area of study is in protein trafficking, how it gets from place to place in the cell. While it is basic research, he is collaborating with other researchers who are studying specific protein receptors and want to better understand how proteins move around.
“Hopefully this helps them better understand their research,” Dr. Caplan said.
Dr. Caplan said he continues to maintain a connection to Dr. Wheelock and the CoBRE grant, even though he no longer qualifies as a CoBRE project leader since obtaining his own funding.
“I try to help out as much as I can with the new investigators coming in, because I believe in what Dr. Wheelock is doing. She is an incredible role model, who puts in a huge amount of time on this, and still maintains her own lab, all the while worrying about what everyone else who is involved with the grant is doing. She is amazing.”
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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