Pilot Research Projects Core

Pilot Research Projects Core Summary The role of the Pilot Research Projects Core (PRPC) will be to oversee and develop pilot projects that bring new investigators into the Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Center, help encourage young investigators in our Center's laboratories to embark on careers in which proteomic approaches are incorporated into their substance abuse research, disseminate the Center's core technologies to researchers investigating the neurobiology of addiction who are not yet using neuroproteomics technologies, and expand the technical abilities of the Center. The Center has greatly increased the pool of researchers using proteomic methods at Yale and at many other institutions and has become a national resource for proteomic studies of biological aspects of drug addiction. The 27 Grant Year 16-19 awardees have obtained 8 grants, submitted 5 NIH grant applications that are pending review and they are now preparing at least 3 additional grant applications. These 2020-2023 grantees have 7 publications and at least 5 more manuscripts in preparation. In addition, 13 of these awardees now have independent positions where they are using proteomic approaches. The 4 awards in Year 20 will expand the Center's technologies and also will result in novel findings relevant to addiction and brain function. In Aim 1, we will build on this success and solicit new pilot proposals via our web site, “X” feed, emails, EAB, and our NIDA program official. The PRPC will encourage applications that propose to apply technologies available from the Cores or to develop new technologies. Applications will be accepted from Center and non-Center investigators expert in substance abuse with interests in initiating research in neuroproteomics, and non-Center investigators with expertise in molecular and cellular aspects of neuronal signaling with interests in initiating neuroproteomics research on substance abuse. Applications will be accepted from graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and higher-level research staff from these investigators' laboratories. In the current proposal, we have briefly described 3 potential projects, which together with 13 other proposals would be submitted for competitive review if this renewal is funded. In Aim 2, we will continue to have pilot projects reviewed by the Director of the PRPC, senior Yale investigators, as well as two non-Yale reviewers, none of whom have a conflict of interest with the proposals reviewed. Using similar criteria to successful pilots, the submitted proposals will be evaluated based on whether they meet the core mission of the program, as well as on their overall scientific merit. In Aim 3, we will evaluate and track the success of the PRPC, through analysis of publications, grants, and the career tracks of the grantees. In Aim 4, each funded project will be mentored by a Center Core staff who is an expert in the technology to be used and who will provide training to the awardee. Further, if the awardee is from a laboratory that does not have experience in drug abuse research, they will be assigned a Center investigator who is highly experienced in drug abuse research who will provide guidance in appropriate models of substance abuse and in experimental design.