Program Information

Program Information

KU-NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Protein Structure and Function (COBRE-PSF). This NIH-funded Center, supported by matching State and University funds, began in October 2002 and received a five-year renewal in May 2008. Participating investigators come from the KU School of Medicine, Kansas State University and Wichita State University in addition to KU. The broad objectives of COBRE-PSF are two-fold: 1) to recruit, support and mentor outstanding junior faculty and accelerate their career development, and 2) to pursue health-related basic research around a single scientific theme.

In pursuit of these objectives COBRE-PSF provides senior faculty mentors to each junior faculty participant, organizes tri-weekly research meetings, and occasional regional workshops on scientific topics, and operates three well-staffed Core Laboratories.

As junior faculty members graduate to independent R01 grants, they are replaced with new junior faculty, but graduates also remain involved with the center as mentors, as core laboratory steering committee members, and as core laboratory clients. In this way we are growing a durable center that will have lasting impact in the state of Kansas.

During our first funding period we supported 24 faculty participants across the four campuses, (12 research project leaders, ten pilot project leaders and two collaborators). Their COBRE-supported work led to 226 peer-reviewed publications and 68 new external grants including ten R01s, two NSF CAREER awards, one R-21, one P-type, and four U-type grants (total $22.1 million).

Since our renewal in May 2008 we are supporting four research projects (ca. $138,000/yr), four pilot projects ($50,000/yr) and three Core Laboratories, each directed by a highly experienced Ph.D. scientist. Each COBRE Core Lab provides consultation in experimental design, assistance preparing grant applications and manuscripts, training in specialized research techniques, access to state-of-the-art research equipment (for experienced users), and a menu of research services. They are supported by a combination of COBRE funds, State funds and user fees, and are intended as state-wide resources to serve all researchers in Kansas, but they are available to interact with qualified researchers anywhere.

Before the end of the current COBRE funding period in 2013, we expect to have supported an additional eight investigators, at least four of whom are likely to have made significant use of protein X-ray crystallography and the facilities of the COBRE PSL.

For more details about our Center's goals and achievements.

The Department of Medicinal Chemistry, which serves as the host department for the COBRE in Protein Structure and Function, is in Malott Hall on The University of Kansas campus.

The COBRE Core Laboratories (Protein Production, Protein Structure and Bio-NMR) are mostly housed within the Structural Biology Center on KU's West Campus.

Portions of the Bio-NMR Core Laboratory are located within the Multidisciplinary Research Building, which is adjacent the Structural Biology Center on the KU West Campus.

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