# Border Biomedical Research Center

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO · 2022 · $124,369

## Abstract

OVERALL SUMMARY
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), through support from the Research Centers at Minority Institutions
(RCMI) has created the Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC) to address issues of Hispanic Health
Disparities unique to the far West Texas region that we call the Borderplex. In this proposal UTEP has developed
an extensive cadre of collaborators consisting of experts from regional academic, medical, and community
partners with the goal to address cancer health disparities that permeate our majority Mexican American
population. When combined with our sister city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, we represent the largest binational
community in the world, with nearly 3 million people. The overall goal for this application is to develop, grow and
sustain the extant infrastructure and programs of the BBRC, as well as to recruit, train, and develop cancer
scientists and health practitioners to promote high quality cancer research and to translate meaningful findings
back to the community. Through mentoring, pilot programs, and enhanced research infrastructure we seek to
promote investigator competitiveness in acquiring extramural funding to address regional disease disparities.
We also seek to generate an environment that creates pipelines for undergraduate and graduate students into
biomedical careers and serves as a major point of entry for Hispanics and other underrepresented minorities into
the nation’s biomedical workforce. These outcomes will be obtained through the achievement of five specific
objectives which are to: (1) Contribute, to cancer research through innovative (a) basic; (b) behavioral; or (c)
clinical studies within our geographically isolated and underserved Mexican American population. Increased
emphasis on epidemiology and collaborations with clinical and public health specialists is within the context of
the University’s mission to address the broader scope of pressing health problems in its service population. (2)
Strengthen research infrastructure and, thereby, capabilities of BBRC investigators through (a) enhancement of
extant multi-user core facilities for research related to proteins, DNA, cell culture, biorepository, biostatistics and
bioinformatics; (3) Recruit experienced faculty members to address cancer health issues; (4) Facilitate the
professional development and mentoring of BBRC investigators, including postdocs via (a) training/education,
(b) pilot grant programs focusing on our cancer project themes, and through interdisciplinary research, address
important health disparity issues and (5), Promote meaningful community partnerships to engage and recruit
participants for research studies and augment outreach and dissemination efforts, through community events,
discussions, seminars, and international symposia for our scientific professionals to share findings and best
practices. Included in infrastructure enhancement are physical plant components that support research, an
administrative core to...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10499271
- **Project number:** 3U54MD007592-29S2
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert A. Kirken
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $124,369
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1998-06-15 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10499271

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10499271, Border Biomedical Research Center (3U54MD007592-29S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10499271. Licensed CC0.

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