The DRPP Core support the career development of promising early-stage investigators at Lead and network institutions. Also, provide research opportunities through professional mentoring and financial support to enhance the research capabilities of network investigators in the four program thematic areas: Neuroscience/Behavior, Molecular Medicine/Cancer, Drug  Discovery/Development, and Bioinformatics

This program is highly significant for the training and implementation of the PR research enterprise and is expected to impact the unique health problems of the Puerto Rican population. To this end, Dr. Suranganie Dharmawardhane, the DRPP Director and PC, will work with the PI, Dr. Jose R. Rodriguez-Medina to continue to increase and develop the talent pool in PR, and reverse the general decline in federal resources for biomedical research by supporting meritorious research that proposes to use evidence-based findings to improve human health and fill critical gaps in our current knowledge base.

The DRPP identify promising investigators and Postdoctoral fellows in the early stages of their careers, and provide them with not just financial support, but individualized mentoring and a cohesive research infrastructure. The DRPP proposes to encourage interdisciplinary research among the INBRE and COBRE institutions, increase the number of extramural funds awarded to the DRPP investigators, augment the quality of PR-INBRE investigators’ publications, and mentor qualified investigators to obtain independent funding. These strategies are expected to result in a highly trained cadre of underrepresented scientists ultimately contributing to health benefits and increased diversity in the biomedical sciences.

Funds Opportunities

• Full Projects: Research support will be provided collaborative research projects selected from promising early investigators in the PR-INBRE network PUIs. The initial awards of $100,000/yr. will be for a period of three years, with the potential for renewal for the next two years, dependent on need and productivity. Click here to view/download FOA, grant applications and instructions.
• Pilot Projects: Research support will provide seed funds for collaborative pilot projects from postdoctoral researchers and faculty from network and Outreach Institutions. The awards will be $50,000/yr. for two years, and one year in the 5th year of funding. A new initiative is the support of early investigators at the lead institutions, via the Administrative Core as start-up or bridge funds using the same solicitation and competitive review mechanisms for the partner institutions. Click here to view/download FOA, grant applications and instructions.
• Instrumentation Grants: These grants will be awarded to faculty at PUIs, dependent on their collaborative research needs. This mechanism is not intended to duplicate the existing research infrastructure of the core facilities of the lead institutions but complement their research capabilities by funding the needs for small instrumentation in the laboratories and/or core facilities of the PUIs.
• Feasability Grants: Small grants will be awarded to faculty for INBRE core facility use. These grants will be based on the collaborative needs of one or more investigators in participating institutions and will fulfill specific use of the INBRE core facilities to gather “omics” type data necessary to complete a specified research project, resubmit a manuscript or grant application as per reviewer critiques, or to gather preliminary data for grant applications.

Universidad Central del Caribe

nbouli@uccaribe.edu

This project is designed to reduce cancer disparities of GBM (the most deadly primary brain tumor) among HIV-infected population. The identified mechanisms of HIV-driven glioma growth and treatment resistance will serve as a basis for the development of novel therapeutic targets. The outcome from this study will outline the avenue for the development of new and effective treatment methods for HIV glioma patients.

Interamerican University Metropolitan Campus

acolom@intermetro.edu

Methicillin resistant S.aureus is a pathogen that causes a diverse array of infections and new antibiotics are urgently needed. This project will identify the biding mode of an antibacterial fatty acid, 2-HDA, to the aureus reductase Fabl, providing and insight of the inhibitory mechanism of this molecule.

Pontifical Catholic University of P.R.

emmanuel_cruz@pucpr.edu

There is no current specific treatment for Angelman Syndrome and the brain metabolome of this disease is completely unknown. We will use OMICs to identify changes in specific metabolic pathways in the brain of AS mice compared to control conditions. These studies may identify novel metabolic pathways that can be targeted as possible treatments for this disease.

Ana G. Méndez Gurabo Campus

cuncil1@uagm.edu

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a highly potent anxiolytic known to be released in the hippocampus affecting many behaviors related to stress disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and there is currently no analytical technique or equipment that is able to measure neuropeptides, neurotransmitters and extracellular potentials in the brain with sub-second temporal resolution. In this proposal, a modular hardware and software required for this system will be developed for fast electrochemical techniques as well as continuous electrochemical impedance measurements that will be validated using rats brain slices. In this way, we will be able to provide an enhanced view of the chemical environment to filter the signal caused by different neurotransmitters and neuropeptides.

Interamerican University Metropolitan Campus

ndeleon@intermetro.edu

The proposed research is relevant to public health because substance abuse disorder has a high rate of comorbidity with anxiety disorders. Aerobic exercise is a promising, non-pharmacological therapy that can be incorporated into treatment for the comorbidity of PTSD and cocaine addiction. The overall goal of the proposed study is to identify the mechanism by which aerobic exercise reduces cocaine-seeking behavior in animal models of addiction and PTSD.

Ponce Medical School Foundation Inc

cjdiaz@psm.edu

The Hispanic/Latino (H/L) population is projected to comprise over 30% of the U.S. population in the next 30 years and Puerto Ricans suffer the highest rates of prostate cancer incidence and mortality among H/L groups. The biological contributors to this disparity are currently unknown, and their elucidation has a strong potential to inform clinical risk stratification. The purpose of this study is to identify biomarkers relevant to the Puerto Rican population to enhance the identification of aggressive prostate cancer with the goal of eliminating prostate cancer disparities in Puerto Rican men.

Universidad Central del Caribe

yancy.ferrer@uccaribe

The long-term outcome that makes this proposal relevant is the development of plant-based nanosuspensions which have enhanced gastrointestinal absorption, increasing the activity of the anticancer phytochemicals. These NS can be combined with current chemotherapy to treat the deadliest and most common lung cancer, NSCLC. The phyto-NS therapy will be an accessible adjuvant treatment that could be critical in countries where modern drugs or health facilities are not abundant. Approaches testing different phyto-NS will lead to more personalized, targeted cancer treatments.

Pontifical Catholic University of P.R.

yaliz_loperena@pucpr.edu

The aims for the project are: 1. Determine the differences of the capsule pathogenesis between C. neoformans and C. gattii. This data will be the basis for the development of new treatment strategies against the yeast complex. 2. Established which of the secreated productos of the macrophages is triggering the development of titan cells, which will help us to understand the regulation of the capsule. 3. Define the effect of C. neoformans/gattii in the inhibition of phagocytosis by inducing polarization of macrophages

UPR Humacao Campus

marcos.lopez11@upr.edu

More than 280,000 women in the United States will be newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. Unfortunately, there is a lack of drugs to treat patients with TNBC. The strategy of the proposed studies is to inhibit bioenergetic metabolism with relatively non-toxic mitochondria-targeted Mito-SG1 to inhibit TNBC cell proliferation and metastasis and improve the health of patients with TNBC.

UPR – Medical Science Campus

antonio.martins@upr.edu

The selectivity of blood-brain barrier transport is so robust that it prevents the uptake of pharmaceuticals, creating one of the biggest challenges in treating the central nervous system. We will use a stable peptide to transiently open the blood-brain barrier to increase the permeation of drugs that regularly do not cross the blood-brain barrier.

University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus

patricia.ortiz3@upr.edu

Human pathogens thrive through association with multiple cell types and their interaction with the extracellular matrix (ECM), are often structured as biofilms. Functional metagenomics provides a combinatorial, culture-independent, inexpensive platform to uncover polymicrobial interactions in the context of human disease, allowing diverse strategies to recreate testing substrates such as the ECM. This project involves the screening and characterization of metagenomic libraries expressed in model bacteria, to dissect modulators of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans biofilms in the presence of ECM components.

Interamerican University Bayamón Campus

cospina@bayamon.inter.edu

More than 1.9 million new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed and 608,570 Americans will die from this disease in 2021. Our project aims to discover new anticancer agents and to the development of novel and safe natural products formulations to treat a disease that causes high mortality worldwide.

University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus

elsie.pares@upr.edu

A better understanding of the cell wall integrity pathway can help us to find and develop new drugs that could inhibit cell wall remodeling under cell wall stress. These cytoplasmic tails are promising targets for the development of antifungal drugs against pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus.

Universidad Central del Caribe

david.rivera@uccaribe.edu

Diabetic patients have a higher risk of suffering from a stroke when compared to non-diabetics and the brain damage that occurs may be more severe or extensive if blood glucose levels are high when a stroke happens. The proposed studies will examine AMPK regulatory function on the expression of Kir4.1 as a possible molecular mechanism by which hyperglycemia affects astrocytic functions. Our findings will improve current knowledge and help develop novel therapeutic agents for this disease.

UPR Ponce Campus

abigail.ruiz@upr.edu

Endometriosis affects millions of women around the world impacting their daily lives. Current research has also demonstrated an increase in other chronic diseases in endometriosis patients. Using an in vivo model this project will contribute towards the identification of additional treatments targeting novel molecular mechanisms.

Universidad Central del Caribe

iris.salgado@uccaribe.edu

Influenza is a highly infectious and potentially deadly acute respiratory disease of widespread global epidemic and pandemic proportions. It is caused by the infection of the influenza-A (INF-A) virus and B virus in humans. Limited pharmacotherapy and the emergence of resistant strains underscore the need for effective treatments with limited resistance development. Describing the mechanism of our lead compounds will guide this project to its development until the translational stage. Now, more than ever, we need to be prepared before the occurrence of a new influenza virus strain that could emerge in a new pandemic event.

Interamerican University Bayamón Campus

dsanabria@intermetro.edu

Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a serious concern since this pathogen continues gaining resistance to current antibiotics. This proposal combines molecular, spectroscopic, and chemical approaches for a comprehensive understanding of how synthetic unsaturated fatty acids (uFA) interact with S. aureus cell membrane. These studies may lead to the development of nextgeneration of uFA with even greater efficacy as antibacterial agents.

Ponce Medical School Foundation Inc

msepulveda@psm.edu

The proposed research is relevant to public health because substance abuse disorder has a high rate of comorbidity with anxiety disorders. Aerobic exercise is a promising, non-pharmacological therapy that can be incorporated into treatment for the comorbidity of PTSD and cocaine addiction. The overall goal of the proposed study is to identify the mechanism by which aerobic exercise reduces cocaine-seeking behavior in animal models of addiction and PTSD.

UPR Ponce Campus

edu.suarez@upr.edu

Asthma and persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR) are two complex, chronic, heterogeneous disorders, with including inflammation of the airways and showing high prevalence in Puerto Rico. For is difficult and require specialized physicians and tests not always accessible to some populations. Our contribution previously identified human proinflammatory differentially expressed between asthmatics, allergic asthmatics, persistent allergic, and controls to obtain the biological data required to create a population-based specific medical device as effective and accessible tool for phenotypes. similar symptomatology including inflammation of the airways and both show a high prevalence in Puerto Rico. For instance, a differential diagnosis is difficult and require specialized physicians and tests not always accessible to some sub- populations. Our contribution with this study, will be to validate our previously identified human proinflammatory molecules panel differentially expressed between asthmatics, allergic asthmatics, persistent  allergic, and controls to obtain the biological data required to create a population-based specific effective medical device with accessibility for diagnosis of asthma and PAR phenotypes and as a consequence the specified pharmacological treatment.

Pontifical Catholic University of P.R.

ceidy_torres@pucpr.edu

Mitophagy mechanism shares common features between yeast and mammals. Understanding the physiological role of mitophagy, it can be a possible target mechanism for treatments to deal with neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and aging characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction and high levels of reactive oxygen species production.

Meet PRINBRE Cores Directors and Staff Members