Jonghyuck Park Scope: COBRE in Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation

We propose to establish a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation (CPRI) at the University of Kentucky (UK) that will build on the College of Pharmacy’s key strengths in pharmaceutical sciences and its established track record for facilitating UK research and junior investigator career development across diverse disciplines at UK. Our contention is that the quantity and quality of ‘translatable’ assets from basic biomedical research (sometimes referred to as ‘T0’ translation) can be enhanced by providing investigators seamless access to fundamental pharmaceutical sciences training, infrastructure and expertise. CPRI will address this need at UK by serving as a comprehensive multidisciplinary center thematically-focused on early preclinical translational research and transdisciplinary innovation. As such, CPRI will strengthen UK’s health research enterprise and synergize with the multiple UK research centers strategically focused on basic and translational research to understand, treat and prevent the major diseases that contribute to Kentucky’s disproportionate health challenges. The overarching goals of the COBRE are to support junior investigator career development and to stimulate innovative, transdisciplinary research with ‘translatable’ potential. To accomplish these goals, we will: i) develop a critical mass of funded investigators with research programs directly related to the Center''s unifying theme; ii) provide strong team-based mentoring that includes field-specific, early career, pharmaceutical science and clinical pharmacist mentors, iii) recruit new investigators to the Center through pilot project grant support leveraged by institutional funds, iv) create new synergies and collaborations via crucial links to established research centers and colleges at UK, including existing COBREs; and v) facilitate the discovery, validation and advancement of UK ''translatable'' assets. Main COBRE deliverables include an expansion of the pool and diversity of UK scientists engaged in collaborative translational research, a growing community of UK scientists well-positioned to advance preclinical assets, a corresponding increase in UK’s preclinical asset pipeline, and a new conduit to stimulate interactions and engagement of investigators from diverse scientific backgrounds. Within this context, the COBRE will initially support four outstanding junior investigators working in three therapeutic areas; namely, cancer, infectious disease and cardiovascular disease.