SUMMARY The Inflammation and Metabolism Core (IMC) is focused on developing instrumentation and infrastructure that are required to enable advanced approaches to studies of metabolic and inflammatory functions at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Science Center (HSC). Inflammation and metabolism are multi- faceted and systemic networks. Their study requires measurements involving complex mixtures of cells from multiple organs and tissues using animal or human tissue. IMC will establish an integrated resource of expertise, cutting-edge equipment, and training to assess metabolic and inflammatory readouts within animal models and tissues. To support the goals and the aims of the Autophagy, Inflammation and Metabolism (AIM) in Disease Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE), IMC will provide crucial new equipment for state-of-the-art assessment of inflammation and metabolism in whole animals. Furthermore, IMC will bring together disparate resources already existing at UNM HSC to enhance UNM investigator capability to study metabolism and inflammation. Each project that CoBRE mentored PIs (mPIs) propose requires metabolic or inflammatory assessment of unique animal models to perturb autophagy. IMC is essential to support these innovative studies. Experts in inflammation and metabolism will direct the core. IMC leadership will facilitate access to new and existing equipment. This centralization of resources and expertise will extend beyond CoBRE investigators and offer new opportunities and resources for investigators at UNM as well as in the region. IMC will support the following aims: Specific Aim 1. Create a centralized resource to assess inflammatory and metabolic dysfunction in animal models. Specific Aim 2. Support mPI research objectives and cultivate a new cohort of CoBRE investigators in their study of metabolic and inflammatory disorders. Specific Aim 3. Provide leadership to facilitate the increased utilization of metabolic and inflammatory measures as disease readouts.