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*Establishment of the NextGen Data Analytics Center

• PI: Praveen Rao, UMKC; Prasad Calyam, MU
• Co-PIs: Zhu Li, Viviana Grieco, UMKC; Peter Tonellato, Deepthi Rao, Prasad Calyam, MU; Sanjay Madria, Missouri S&T; Timothy Middelkoop, Kannappan Palaniappan, Satish Nair, Ye Duan, Trupti Joshi, MU

The traditional model of a central supercomputer resource that serves the majority of campus users falls short of the new reality in which collaborative, interdisciplinary and highly data/computation-intensive resources are not always within campus boundaries. This project will support a “community-scale” research computing approach that will advance systemwide research and education collaborations and seamlessly integrate local and remote resources, directly supporting the NextGen Precision Health Initiative in addition to many other research collaborations across the UM System. This center will be the first of its kind in the UM System, capable of analyzing and storing massive datasets, bringing new capabilities to our researchers and students in an era of the rapidly growing demand for data scientists. In the coming months, university leaders will coordinate with Drs. Rao and Calyam and other faculty colleagues to leverage this investment with donors and industry partners.

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*Center for Glass Science and Technology

• PI: Richard Brow, Missouri S&T
• Co-PIs: Ming C. Leu, Julia Medvedeva, Julie Semon, S&T; Yezaz Ghouri, MU

This proposal is to purchase equipment and create facilities for a Center for Glass Science and Technology (CGST), including an electron microprobe that will significantly enhance research capabilities across the UM System; thermal, mechanical, and optical characterization equipment; and an upgrade and expansion of glass preparation facilities. The CGST will build on Missouri S&T’s previous success in glass research, such as the development of TheraSphere® and Mirragen®, by providing the tools and collaborative space necessary to solve problems in biomedical and materials science research.

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Radiopharmacology Core

• PI: David Robertson, MU
• Co-PIs: Jeff Smith, Silvia Jurisson, Jeffrey Bryan, Tom Quinn

MU is the only university in the United States to have brought three FDA-approved radiopharmaceuticals to market, demonstrating our position as a national leader in radiopharmacology. This project aims to build on that success by providing critical infrastructure and collaborative expertise to researchers who have ideas that can attract national funding, but lack the personal expertise or laboratory facilities to fully develop a radiopharmaceutical product.The long-term vision is to develop a research pipeline where radiopharmaceutical agents can be developed by UM faculty across the System, tested in cell cultures and small animals at the Institute for Nano and Molecular Innovation (INMI), then in large animals at the Veterinary Medicine center, with eventual first-in-person studies at the NextGen Precision Health Institute.

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Missouri Resource for Cryo-Electron Microscopy

• PI: Michael Chapman, MU
• Co-PIs: Donald Burke, Jack Tanner, Tommi White, Lloyd Sumner, Xiaolan Yao

This proposal aims to acquire a Talos Arctica™ Cryo-Electron Microscope (EM) to equip researchers with the leading cryo-EM technology to investigate fundamental biomolecular interactions and enable pharmaceutical development, but will also have remote operation capabilities for scientists throughout the state who prefer to mail samples rather than travel to Columbia. In the coming months, university leaders will coordinate with Dr. Chapman and other faculty colleagues to leverage this investment and develop a center for excellence in electron microscopy with donors and industry partners.

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NovaSeq Instrumentation and Sequencing: Leveraging MU Resources for ���ϱ��� Research

• PI: Wesley Warren, MU
• Co-PIs: Leslie Lyons, Robert Schnabel, Kevin F. Staveley-O’Carroll, Douglas C Miller, Peter J Tonellato

Technological advances in DNA sequencing have revolutionized biomedical science and healthcare approaches, but constant technological advances require continued investment. This proposal aims to maintain MU’s excellence in research by providing researchers with the Illumina®NovaSeq system, the latest disruptive technology that offers quantum enhancements in speed, volume and quality of sequencing at a significantly lower cost – an upgrade that will allow MU’s sequencing capabilities to match or exceed those of the top research universities around the world.

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Imaging and Spectroscopy for Biological and Nanosciences

• PI: Cynthia Dupureur, UMSL
• Co-PIs: Michael Nichols, Xuemin Wang, Lon Chubiz, Keith Stine, R. Fredrik Inglis

The Microscope Imaging and Spectroscopy Technology (MIST) Laboratory is a facility at the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a 20-year history of supporting academic and industry projects; however, this vital resource is threatened by aging equipment and a lack of dedicated personnel. This proposal aims to upgrade the MIST lab and support efforts to compete for top-tier funding opportunities, strengthen industry ties through collaboration, and provide the best training for the next generation of scientists.

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Accelerating Development of Glycopharmaceuticals: Establishment of the UMSL Glocoscience Consortium

• PI: Alexei Demchenko, UMSL
• Co-PIs: Eike E. Bauer, Michael R. Nichols, Christopher D. Spilling, Keith J. Stine, Chung F. Wong

Carbohydrate-based drugs, called glycopharmaceuticals, are a promising but underdeveloped clinical technology for many conditions, such as microbial sepsis, a massive immune response to E. coli in the blood that causes more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. This proposal aims to establish the Glycoscience Consortium, which will cultivate a unique area of expertise within Missouri and build collaborations to accelerate the rational design, synthesis, and evaluation of new glycopharmaceuticals.

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Developing a Radiopharmaceutical Pipeline

• PI: Timothy Glass, MU
• Co-PIs: Charles Maitz, Dave Robertson, Jeff Smith, Silvia Jurisson

Researchers at the MU Research Reactor (MURR) developed and produced diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals in cooperation with private industry for decades, with three FDA-approved drugs already on the market. This proposal aims to develop a multidisciplinary collaborative pipeline to discover new radiopharmaceutical agents at MU and bring these new and much-needed cancer imaging and therapy agents to patients faster.

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Tumor Aptamer Theranostics for Antigen Discovery, Immunotherapy, and Targeted Delivery

• PI: Donald Burke-Aguero, MU
• Co-PIs: Mark Daniels, Diego Avella, Jusuf Kaifi, Jeff Smith, David Porciani

Developing therapies that will kill tumors but preserve healthy tissue requires biotechnology that can target cancer-specific molecular markers, while also being safe and easy to use. This research team will address this problem using aptamers, which are DNA-like molecules that can be designed to recognize and bind a cancer target, and developing methods to bind aptamers to cancer imaging agents and radiopharmaceuticals.

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Precision Medicine Approaches to Treat Heart Failure in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

• PI: Kerry McDonald, MU
• Co-PI: Maike Krenz
• Co-Is: Gang (Gary) Yao, Christopher P. Baines, Timothy L. Domeier

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating and incurable muscle-wasting disease that occurs in 1/3,500 newborns and progresses rapidly, leading to premature death—often due to heart failure. This research team, which includes a world leader in DMD research and a renowned clinician who pioneered the use of Big Data in patient treatment, will use a multi-pronged strategy to understand heart failure progression in patients with DMD and pave the way to targeting the most effective therapy for a patient’s unique genetic background.

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Exosomes and Cardiovascular Disease in Obesity and Sleep Apnea

• PI: David Gozal, MU
• Co-PIs: Leila Kheirandish-Gozal, Abdelnaby Khalyfa, Jaume Padilla, Luis A. Martinez-Lemus and Camila Manrique

The global obesity epidemic also increases the prevalence of other dangerous disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and there is evidence that a synergistic relationship between these conditions can be explained at the cell level. The goal of this proposal is to establish a multidisciplinary research group who will work to understand the cellular connection between obesity and vascular disease, and also develop new targeted therapies for CVD—the number one cause of death worldwide.

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Modeling Early Pregnancy in Humans

• PI: Thomas Spencer, MU
• Co-PIs: Toshihiko Ezashi, Amanda Patterson, Laura Schulz, Danny Schust, Bret Ulery

Problems during early pregnancy can cause infertility, miscarriage and other complications, but this crucial period is poorly understood because it is impossible to obtain tissue samples from pregnant women in the first trimester. This project aims to develop the first model of human implantation in a laboratory dish without using human embryos, opening new possibilities to study early pregnancy, develop reproductive therapies, and solve fertility problems that affect 50% of all women worldwide during their life.

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Center for Vector-borne and Emerging Infectious Diseases

• PI: Deborah Anderson, MU
• Co-PIs: Brenda Beerntsen, Donald Burke-Aguero, Deborah Finke, Alexander Franz, Bret Ulery

Missouri is the perfect environment for mosquitos, fleas and ticks to infect livestock and humans with the horrific diseases caused by Zika, West Nile and other viruses. In response to recent major outbreaks in humans and the lack of understanding about these diseases, this research team will study insect vectors to understand the mechanics that drive the spread of disease and develop new approaches for diagnosis and treatment.

The first three proposals below serve as co-investments for the