Rio Grande Valley Cancer Health Disparity Research Center

The overarching goal of Research Capacity Core (RCC) of Rio Grande Vally Cancer Health Disparity Research Center is to establish, maintain, and sustain a unique research infrastructure and core facilities to support and advance basic science, biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and community research at UTRGV. The prime

objective of RCC is aimed at enhancing the quality, productivity, and cost-effectiveness of RCMI projects, pilot projects, and UTRGV investigators’ biomedical research outcomes by establishing shared instrumentation and structured vision. The RCC builds upon consolidation of UTRGV’s research infrastructure and development of

new core facilities and faculty expert-level services to enhance the research capacity of UTRGV investigators. The RCC facilitates research facility integration, consolidation, and execution by efficient planning, coordination, and implementation of protocols. RCC will be comprised of six core instrumentation cores (cell and molecular

imaging, small animal imaging, flow cytometry, genomic and proteomic, histopathology, and theranostic facilities), three faculty-level services (biostatistics, data science and informatics, and biobank resources) and seven collaborating centers (center for vector borne diseases, analytical, coastal studies, food science and

engineering, nanotechnology, applied biomechanics, and regenerative medicine). The activities of RCC will be led by Dr. Murali Yallapu (Director) and Drs. Khalid Benamar, Angela Cook, and Upal Roy, who are highly acclaimed researchers in the fields of analytical, pharmaceutical, and cancer therapeutics, drug development,

pain management, HIV, and biomarker development with record of federal funding, publications, and clinical operations. The RCC provides core management, service prioritization, and consultation services to facilitate comprehensive and specialized laboratory techniques, research design and methodologies, data acquisition and

management, analytical support, statistical and artificial intelligence, bioinformatics and health informatics, biospecimens, and qualitative expertise. For the maximal benefit of UTRGV investigators across all biomedical health-related research areas, the RCC proposes three specific aims: Aim 1. To identify resources and

consolidate existing resources for effective management of a centralized research infrastructure; Aim 2. To provide faculty-level expertise core services to increase researcher capacity in biomedical, clinical, and behavioral research; and Aim 3. To implement dynamic and cost-effective research core facilities with excellent

investigator services. RCC will ultimately reinforce cost-effective services to increase research output, quality of research and productivity, and funding probabilities of all UTRGV investigators. The successful implementation of RCC facility will not only provide world-class research facilities and services to UTRGV investigators but boost

innovative interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research and emerging fields to fight against various chronic diseases in underserved populations, one of the core missions of UTRGV, RCMI, and NIMHD.