This Center of Biological Research Excellence (COBRE) grant funds cardiovascular research projects and provides mentoring to junior faculty, enabling them to successfully compete nationally for research funding.  The competitive award continues the program funded by the initial $10.5 million cardiovascular COBRE grant awarded to LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans in 2003 and brings the total funded by NCRR to this project to more than $20.5 million over ten years. This grant not only funds basic science research which underlies treatment advances, but also helps develop the next generation of competitively funded faculty research scientists.

            The selection of Junior and Developing Investigators is highly competitive and is based upon the quality of their research proposals, the stage of career development and their potential for development as independently funded investigators.          

            The goal is to provide strong mentoring and research support to a select group of outstanding scientists and clinicians who focus on understanding mechanisms of cardiovascular disease to the development of novel therapeutics. This grant will help to launch the careers of these developing scientists and expand the number of nationally funded investigators in New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. This COBRE grant provides a platform to transition our cardiovascular biology program to a self-sustaining and nationally recognized Cardiovascular Center of Excellence at LSUHSC. The need for such a mission is apparent from the tragic state of cardiovascular disease not only in the United States, but within our home state of Louisiana.

            The funding will support four research projects and one pilot project of LSUHSC junior faculty investigators. Junior faculty are Eric Lazartigues, PhD, LSUHSC Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, T. Cooper Woods, PhD, LSUHSC Instructor of Pharmacology who is also a Staff Scientist at Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Catalin Filipeanu, MD, PhD, LSUHSC Assistant Professor-Research of Pharmacology, Jerome Breslin, PhD, LSUHSC Assistant Professor of Physiology, and Developing Investigator Hernan Bazan, MD, LSUHSC Assistant Professor of Surgery.

            In regards to the COBRE project, Dr. Daniel Kapusta is responsible for overseeing all aspects and operations of this program including protecting the interests of this Center at the level of the University and State. He coordinates activities with collaborating institutions (e.g., Tulane Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Ochsner Clinic Foundation) and is the contact person at LSUHSC responsible for communication and reports between the Institute and NIH NCRR. Dr. Kapusta is responsible for preparation and dissemination of files/reports regarding the COBRE program exchanged between the Directors, External and Internal Advisory Committee. A unique aspect of this COBRE project is that Dr. Kapusta has established a tailored mentoring approach in which each of the COBRE Junior Investigators is individually paired with 3 established and funded investigators at LSUHSC whose basic science/clinical research program closely matches that of the Junior Investigator. The goal of the mentoring team is to monitor the Junior Investigator’s scientific research progress and provide them with critical support and advice that will facilitate them in becoming an NIH funded investigator. The mentoring team also consists of at least one senior faculty member who oversees the Junior Investigator’s academic career progress.  In addition to his directorship duties, Dr. Kapusta also serves as a mentor and a role model for the COBRE Junior and Developing investigators and the mentors.