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The goal of the Nebraska Center for the Molecular Biology of Neurosensory Systems (NCNS) is to build a productive group of researchers investigating the mechanisms of neurosensory development which will provide the foundations for new treatments. Advances in developmental neuroscience are essential to the discovery of effective therapies, as evidenced by the NEIs Audacious Goal, to Regenerate Neurons and Neural Connections, and NIDCDs Priority Area 1 for Hearing and Balance, Understanding Normal Function. To accomplish this, three research institutions are working together to establish excellence in this field by funding and mentoring faculty members to enable them to develop independent research careers, and by creating core facilities offering state of the art technical support. Of eight junior investigators funded in Phase I, seven have been promoted, some with tenure, and are now serving as mentors themselves. In Phase II, the NCNS is expanding to encompass developmental neuroscience and translational research projects. New technologies are being added to our cores, and the cores conduct research to augment to their capabilities. The NCNS has instituted new mechanisms allowing members to access additional core facilities as the complexity of their research increases. This has produced a group of interactive researchers who have obtained over $20,000,000 in new research funds and are publishing independently and together. Utilization of NCNS core facilities extends beyond NCNS members, and they are major resources for researchers in many specialties who are studying molecular genetic mechanisms. In Phase III, we focus further on the core facilities, expanding and consolidating them to offer a more complete array of services. An experienced Program Coordinator will coordinate the operation of the cores, making them even more efficient and self-sustaining so that the actual funding per core can be decreased. We will continue to fund new researchers and will provide an enhanced mentoring core. The NCNS has benefited from an exceptionally talented and engaged External Advisory Committee, and the addition of an internal Steering Committee will provide more immediate guidance for the mentoring program and NCNS administration.
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