UCSF-UCB Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center (TRAC)

PROJECT SUMMARY The overall goal of the proposed UC San Francisco – UC Berkeley Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center (UCSF-UCB TRAC) is to accelerate the pace of discoveries that improve our understanding of tuberculosis (TB) and lead directly to new tools for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of TB. Addressing the complex problems of the current heavy burden and persistence of the TB epidemic requires partnerships across disciplines; mobilization of technology for identification, intervention, and prevention; and mentoring of future scientists and clinicians. The UCSF-UCB TRAC is uniquely positioned to address these challenges for radically new treatments, better diagnostics and an effective vaccine. UCSF and UCB represent a major hub of NIH-funded TB research with many labs across the wide spectrum of disciplines, and the UCSF-UCB TRAC will fill a critical gap in a prominent clinical and basic science research environment. Our proposed UCSF-UCB TRAC will allow us to, (1) attract and support New Investigators (NI) in the TB field by providing pilot awards, training, longitudinal mentorship and other key services and resources; and (2) attract and enable non-TB investigators to enter the field by providing awards, key resources and opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration that support new directions in TB research. Further, our Center tightly integrates 4 cores: 1) an Administrative Core to provide leadership, infrastructure, administrative and communication support, advice and oversight to coordinate all UCSF-UCB TRAC operations; 2) a Basic Science Core to lower traditional barriers experienced by investigators to facilitate innovative, multidisciplinary, fundamental TB research through a suite of cutting edge technologies accessible in BSL-3/ABSL-3 facilities; 3) a Clinical Science Core to augment existing UCSF and UCB resources to accelerate clinical research by engaging new investigators and reducing the barrier to conducting high-quality, innovating clinical research; and 4) a Developmental Core to attract and develop scientific leaders in TB research via a platform of services to support a continuum of ideas to independence in TB research, offering mentoring, professional development, proposal support, and research funding. The UCSF-UCB TRAC will add value to the robust research enterprises of UCSF and UC Berkeley by bridging traditional silos between fundamental and clinical TB and by providing a nucleating factor for coordinated TB research resources and collaboration at the two campuses and at affiliated international research sites.