Collaborative research project (CPs) serve an important function in P41 centers by ensuring that technology research and development (TRDs) projects are selected, which are relevant to the biomedical community. LBRC has vigorously and successfully pursued a strong program of CPs with a great potential of improving patient diagnosis and treatment, discovering new pharmaceuticals, and elucidating fundamental biological mechanisms. Our broad range of expertise in fluorescence imaging, interferometric microscopy, vibronic spectroscopy and imaging, and nanoprobe toolkit provide unique photonics-based technology solutions for our multidisciplinary collaborators.
LBRC welcomes collaborators throughout the United States and world-wide, with challenging research problems that can be addressed by our photonics expertise. While LBRC would like to work with as many biomedical researchers as possible, our resources, especially manpower, are limited. The choice of CPs is, therefore, clearly an important task for the center. We apply three major criteria in the choice of CPs. (1)They must be able to form a push-pull relation with the TRDs. The CP must contain biomedical problems without current solution that may be solved by new technologies deliverable by the TRDs. Many of our CPs engage multiple TRDs. (2) The CPs must address important biomedical problems, using first-rate scientific methods, and be led by knowledgeable, excellent investigators. (3)There must be reasonable logistics to ensure efficient two-way flow of scientific knowledge between LBRC and the laboratories of the CRP collaborators. On a bi-annual basis, LBRC lead investigators, jointly with our external advisory panel, select new collaborations that would best advance our mission. If you are interested in working with us, please fill out a brief collaboration request form and our researchers will contact you within a week.
Currently, we engage in a number of CPs spanning diverse topics from cancer biology, cardiology, neurobiology, stem cell biology, to infectious and blood diseases. In the following, we briefly describe only a select number of CPs: