# UT Southwestern O'Brien Kidney Research Core Center

> **NIH NIH P30** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $1,171,502

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Mission and themes.
This is an application for renewal of a George M. O'Brien Kidney Research Core Center at the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas currently directed by Dr. Orson Moe who is Professor of Internal
Medicine and Physiology, and Chief of the Division of Nephrology at UT Southwestern. The overall mission of
the Center is to promote bidirectional synergistic interactions between basic scientists and clinical researchers,
maximally optimize research for renal investigators, and encourage and facilitate non-renal researchers to study
renal questions. Our three main themes are: 1. Kidney development and genetics. 2. Physiology and
pathophysiology. 3. Chronic kidney disease and its complications
Need for Center.
Discoveries in renal science is emerging at an alarming rate and from diverse circumstances. No single
laboratory or investigator can take their findings through development into full biologic elucidation and eventual
clinical applications. Researchers outside the renal field often make interesting findings pertinent to kidney
disease but lack the ability to pursue the finding due to lack of knowledge, reagents, models, and techniques.
This gap needs to be bridged so opportunities of discovery will not be missed, and we can also increase the
number of renal investigators. Within the renal research community, basic scientists need appropriate and
extensive phenotyping, to translate their findings to clinical application. Clinical researcher also need bench
clarification of clinical findings to elucidation mechanisms, and robust systems to discover new biomarkers and
treatment. Bidirectional translation is a central purpose of our Center. Our ultimate goal is to improve diagnosis
and treatment of kidney diseases.
Number of Center Members and Direct Cost.
Our Center houses 12 Center Members, which are UT Southwestern faculty holding a title within and directly
supported by the O'Brien Center. We have 254 Core Members, who are on or off campus users of the O'Brien
Center. The direct cost requested is about $749,000 per year. The Center is subsidized by the Renal Division
and by UT Southwestern so the real operating cost actually exceeds the allowed budget.
Overview of research base, Biomedical Cores, P&F Program and Enrichment Program.
The Center supports all research with some relationship to kidney function and disease. Many basic scientists
work on highly fundamental biologic problems such as atherosclerosis, autophagy, cellular protein trafficking,
diabetes, find scientific merit in using the kidney as model systems and we are delighted that we can attract such
investigators to renal investigation. We fulfil our role via three portals- infrastructure support, education, and fiscal
support to jumpstart pilot projects.
Biomedical Research Cores. Four Cores are designed to provide the infrastructure to bridge the full span for
bidirectional translation. (A) The Animal Core distributes an...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9954045
- **Project number:** 5P30DK079328-14
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Orson W Moe
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,171,502
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-08-03 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9954045

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9954045, UT Southwestern O'Brien Kidney Research Core Center (5P30DK079328-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9954045. Licensed CC0.

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