COBRE

Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) support thematic, multidisciplinary centers that augment and strengthen institutional biomedical research capacity. This is accomplished by expanding and developing biomedical faculty research capability and enhancing research infrastructure, including the establishment of core facilities needed to carry out the objectives of a multidisciplinary, collaborative program.

These centers are led by NIH-funded investigators with expertise central to the theme of the grant proposal. The centers promote collaborative, interactive efforts among researchers with complementary backgrounds, skills and expertise. In some instances, COBRE support facilitates the development of new, disease-specific research centers or augments the capability of existing centers. Researchers supported through COBRE are expected to compete independently for external peer-reviewed grant support.

Each COBRE includes:

1. A principal investigator who is an established biomedical research scientist with expertise central to the research theme of the center, has an active research laboratory, has relevant peer-reviewed funding and has demonstrated administrative leadership and mentoring experience.
2. Three to five individual research projects—each supervised by a single junior investigator—that stand alone but share a common thematic scientific focus.
3. At least one mentor for each junior investigator, and a development and mentoring plan addressing how the junior investigators will transition to competitive grant support from NIH institutes and centers or other Federal or non-Federal agencies or organizations.

• Mississippi Center of Excellence in Perinatal Research – state level
  Perinatal research and treatment, obesity and other related metabolic factors during pregnancy; health disparities
  o Center of Research Excellence in Natural Products Neuroscience – state level

The University of Mississippi is home to the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR). It is the nation’s only university-affiliated research center devoted to improving human health and agricultural productivity through the discovery, development, and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals derived from natural products. Research at the NCNPR focuses on discovering new drugs for unmet therapeutic needs such as cancer and infectious disease.

• Obesity, Cardiorenal, Metabolic Diseases Research Center – state level

Prevention, treatment, and mechanisms of obesity, cardiorenal, and metabolic diseases

• Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Pathogen-Host Interactions – state level

This COBRE at MSU focuses on cutting edge research on the relationship of pathogens and hosts, with the ultimate goal of developing new strategies to treat or control diseases such as Listeriosis, a potentially lethal food-borne disease, Influenza (including human seasonal flu and flu in various animal species), Stapylococcus aureus infections (wound infections, blood poisoning, pneumonia, and mastitis), and Streptococcus pneumoniae infections (bacterial pneumonia and blood poisoning). In addition, the COBRE includes activities designed to improve the competitiveness of our young investigators and help them establish careers that will be a valued national resource for many years to come.

• Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience – state level

The Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience (CPN) is a multidisciplinary research coalition at the UMMC. The primary mission of the CPN is to facilitate the transition of junior faculty researchers to independent neuroscientists with major research grant support.