Abstract of Funded Parent Award The overall goal of the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Digestive & Liver Diseases (CDLD) is to enable outstanding multidisciplinary collaborative research in digestive and liver diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina. These diseases are of importance to the state of South Carolina because of the tremendous, disproportionate burden they have upon the state’s citizens. The specific aims are to: 1) Mentor an expanding cadre of successful Junior Investigators to become independently funded in digestive and liver disease research; 2) Develop innovative scientific core resources designed to stimulate and apply research discoveries in digestive and liver disease to improve human health; and 3) Sustain the CDLD and its long-term success through multidisciplinary research and programmatic evaluation and improvement strategies. The Center is led by a multidisciplinary team of two department chairs within the MUSC College of Medicine, coalescing resources to achieve their overarching objective of developing an NIDDK-funded Silvio O. Conte Digestive Disease Research Core Center at MUSC. Scientific cores include the: 1) Cell Models Core to generate advanced cell models of digestive and liver diseases; 2) Animal Models of Digestive Diseases Core to provide access to essential animal models; and 3) Advanced Imaging Core with sophisticated equipment, technologies and expertise required for successful, state-of-the-art cell and tissue based imaging and analysis. This application highlights four Junior Investigators who will benefit from an innovative multiple source mentoring plan which features both internal and external mentors. With NIH and institutional support, the COBRE in Digestive & Liver Disease will facilitate the development of robust translational programs, ultimately leading to better mechanistic understanding with the potential for new therapeutic discoveries.