# Molecular Mechanisms

> **NIH NIH P20** · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · 2022 · $551,565

## Abstract

Project Summary: 
Modern biomedical research to uncover the metabolic basis of disease is increasingly dependent on the 
application of complex technology. In many cases, the costs associated with the acquisition and maintenance 
of necessary equipment, in addition to the technical expertise needed to run these technologies, typically exceed 
the capabilities of individual laboratories - particularly those of investigators at the start of their careers. Hence, 
the overarching goal for the COBRE Molecular Mechanisms Core is to provide investigators with such 
technologies in the realm of functional genomics and molecular bioimaging, and thus help them to apply state of 
the art approaches in their research projects. The Core seeks to achieve this goal in two Specific Aims: 
SPECIFIC AIM 1: To provide COBRE investigators with mentoring support concerning molecular bioimaging and 
functional genomics technology. Application of modern biomedical technology per se does not lead to 
meaningful or impactful scientific progress; it requires a clear understanding of the power of specific technologies 
for science to emerge from data. Therefore, the Core will serve as an intellectual and advisory resource for 
COBRE investigators when it comes to bioimaging and functional genomics experiments, and provide mentoring 
so that technological approaches match up with the scientific goal of each project. Hence, the goal for this Aim 
is to ensure that COBRE investigators, rather than viewing technology as a perhaps unsurmountable obstacle, 
can in fact embrace these new technologies with confidence to further their science. 
SPECIFIC AIM 2: To provide COBRE investigators with direct technological support for their experiments that 
use molecular bioimaging and functional genomics approaches. To understand the molecular etiology that forms 
the pathogenic framework for disease, technologies that capture gene expression changes are of primary 
necessity for conducting mechanistic research, and the key technologies for the Core are three-dimensional 
imaging of gene expression in whole-mount tissues, and assessment of gene expression using single-cell RNA 
sequencing. The Core will provide COBRE investigators with turn-key access to these technologies in order to 
ensure that they do not get needlessly bogged down in the hands-on technical minutiae, but can fully concentrate 
on the science of their research projects, and on their overall productivity. 
Furthermore, the Core, by relying on its NIH proposal review expertise, and by ensuring that experiments meet 
NIH rigor and reproducibility standards and thus contribute to a strong premise, can provide the mentoring 
environment needed for COBRE investigators to generate competitive NIH grant proposals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10333353
- **Project number:** 5P20GM135002-03
- **Recipient organization:** LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Johannes Michael Salbaum
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $551,565
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10333353

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10333353, Molecular Mechanisms (5P20GM135002-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10333353. Licensed CC0.

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