USC’s Office of Research and Health Sciences has earmarked $1 million—the largest internal grant in University history—to fund five biomedical research projects selected through a comprehensive review process.

Each of the projects is expected to yield data for writing proposals aimed at attracting significant external funding. The five projects were among 12 proposals submitted by USC faculty and reviewed by external scientists.

“This funding represents a serious step toward enhancing USC’s productivity in research on human health,” said Harris Pastides, vice president for research and health sciences. “The Biomedical Research Initiative Steering Committee (BRISC) has done a stellar job of identifying the University’s strengths and weaknesses in biomedical research and making specific recommendations for several key areas.

“It’s important now to begin investing in some of the areas that show the greatest promise for growth and national recognition.”

The faculty-run 16-member BRISC, co-chaired by exercise science professor Russ Pate and chemistry professor John Baynes, conducted numerous interviews with deans and administrators and created several working groups to identify areas of strength, barriers to research growth, and directions for future investment and growth.

“BRISC’s value is an unvarnished view and set of recommendations from faculty in touch with issues at the grassroots level,” Pate said.
Those recommendations included increasing the number of tenure-track and research-track faculty who are capable of competing for National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, the committee recommended that new resources be earmarked to support expansion of biomedical research.

“This million-dollar investment is proof that the Office of Research is committed to providing the resources necessary to improve the University’s biomedical research enterprise,” said Lucia Pirisi-Creek, a School of Medicine professor and new biomedical research facilitator for the research and health sciences division.

In addition to increased internal funding, BRISC members also recommended that the University invest resources to support research growth on prevention and treatment of cancer; neuroscience; reduction of health disparities across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups; and bioengineering and regenerative medicine.

BRISC also recommended that the University adopt the goal of increasing its annual funding from the National Institutes of Health from its current level (fiscal year 2003) of $20 million to $40 million by fiscal year 2008—an average growth of 15 percent per year.

Biomedical research, which includes all research related to human health such as cancer, bioengineering, neuroscience, nutrition and physical activity, mental health, and bioterrorism, is one of four key research areas identified by President Sorensen for support.

The five projects supported by the Office of Research’s $1 million funding are:
• Tom Borg, medicine, “Regulation of Fibroblasts in Development and Disease”
• Frank Berger, biological sciences, “Program in Cell/Molecular Biology of Colorectal Cancer”
• James Hebert, epidemiology and biostatistics, “Center for Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine”
• Rose Booze, psychology, “S.C. COBRE in Neurodevelopment Disorders”
• Kim Creek, medicine, “Comprehensive Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership.”



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