The overall goal of the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Digestive & Liver Diseases (CDLD) is to enable outstanding multidisciplinary collaborative research in digestive and liver diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina. These diseases are of importance to the state of South Carolina because of the tremendous, disproportionate burden they have upon the state’s citizens. The specific aims are to: 1) Mentor, train, recruit and retain a cadre of early career scientists to become independently funded investigators in digestive and liver diseases research; 2) Develop sustainable scientific core resources to support digestive and liver disease studies while leveraging institutional investments; and 3) Promote the long-term viability and success of the CDLD through development of multidisciplinary basic science research programs, rigorous evaluation, ongoing improvement strategies, and mission alignment with other centers at MUSC. The Center is led by a multidisciplinary team of two department chairs within the MUSC College of Medicine, coalescing resources to achieve their overarching objective of building a critical mass of funded investigators that will allow MUSC to compete for future external peer-reviewed programmatic grant support. This application highlights four of our most outstanding Junior Investigators (JIs) who will benefit from an innovative multiple source mentoring plan which features both internal and external mentors. We anticipate each of these JIs to transition to independent NIH funding within the first three years of the project. The CDLD also includes three Cores that will support not only the JIs but also digestive and liver disease investigators throughout the medical center. Scientific cores include the: 1) Cell Models Core, which will generate advanced cell models of digestive and liver diseases; 2) Animal Models of Digestive Disease Core, which will provide access to and training in essential animal models; and 3) Advanced Imaging Core, delivering sophisticated equipment, technologies and expertise required for successful, state-of-the-art cell and tissue-based imaging and analysis. Additionally, the CDLD will foster collaborations among digestive and liver disease researchers by promoting interdisciplinary scientific exchange through our enrichment activities and build research capabilities through our Pilot Project Program. With NIH and institutional support, the CDLD will attain our long-term goal of integrating basic, translational and clinical research as a sustainable, multidisciplinary, programmatic center.

Overall – Project Narrative Gastrointestinal diseases are a tremendous burden for many US citizens with treatment costs estimated to be more than $120 billion annually in the US. This initiative will establish a center of excellence in digestive and liver disease research in South Carolina where the population bears a disproportionate burden of disease.