# SPARED Center

> **NIH NIH P50** · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · 2020 · $371,410

## Abstract

SUMMARY: ADMINISTRATIVE CORE
The Silvio O. Conte Center for Stress Peptide Advanced Research, Education, & Dissemination (SPARED) at
McLean Hospital will create an innovative, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive research program combining
preclinical and clinical components to elucidate mechanisms by which unregulated stress triggers psychiatric
illness. The 5 thematically-linked projects will focus on interactions between CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor)
and PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide), peptides implicated in stress responsiveness
and development of debilitating illnesses including PTSD. To support this research mission, the Administrative
Core will maintain the organizational structure necessary for enabling successful communication, integration,
and cooperation among SPARED Center projects, providing a mechanism for frequent updating, and ensuring
effective allocation and utilization of resources for maximizing synergy and scientific advancement. The Core
will also support the education and training activities needed to develop future researchers at McLean, a national
leader as the premier psychiatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Core will be Co-Directed by
William Carlezon, Ph.D. and Kerry Ressler, M.D., Ph.D. and has 4 Specific Aims. For Aim 1, the Core will
coordinate, integrate, and advance Center research, taking responsibility for the overall coordination of 5
research groups comprising the SPARED Center, and direct the Education, Training, Outreach, and Statistics
components. Core Leaders will work directly with the directors of the Education, Training, and Outreach initiative
and Statistics/Data Management component. For Aim 2, the Core will create and maintain a SPARED Center
website devoted to the Center and establish a social media presence so that our work will have a global reach.
The Core will use these resources to disseminate our work to target audiences of scientists and health care
practitioners, students (K-12, college, medical school, and graduate students), educators, NIMH “Outreach
Partners”, and the general lay-public. For Aim 3, the Core will provide multiple career-building opportunities for
early-career scientists conducting SPARED Center-related research, including Seed Grants and Travel Awards.
In addition, we will organize a SPARED Center Symposium for faculty and international stress leaders to present
their work. We will also encourage SPARED Center faculty to submit symposia proposals to relevant scientific
meetings (e.g., SfN, ACNP, SOBP) and provide an educational platform that supports development and teaching
new courses. For Aim 4, the Core will share our collective enthusiasm and expertise with the larger community
through outreach. Our outreach mission will focus on initiatives aimed at the public and students (K-12 and
college), by continuing our ongoing collaboration with the Boston Museum of Science and developing a new
outreach pipeline with regi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9904770
- **Project number:** 5P50MH115874-02
- **Recipient organization:** MCLEAN HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** William A. Carlezon
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $371,410
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9904770

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9904770, SPARED Center (5P50MH115874-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9904770. Licensed CC0.

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