Discovery of Chemical Probes and Therapeutic Leads, Phase 3 - Project Summary The goal of this Phase III COBRE to continue and sustain our work to discover new chemical probes and lead molecules for biological research and therapeutic discovery. Our approach is broad-based and interdisciplinary, with a focus on using chemical biology and molecular design to investigate and understand disease while leveraging our core capabilities in synthesis, biochemistry, engineering, and biology. Building on the successes of Phase I and II, our center will continue to build center momentum with the continued recruitment and development of new investigators through faculty hiring and through pilot project funding. During Phase III, we will continue to support our successful and broadly utilized cores, and we outline a plan for sustaining the cores beyond COBRE funding with a broad base of extramurally funded user groups and an outstanding University commitment to support the cores through a significant match commitment and hard-funded Ph.D. level staff. We will sponsor an annual seminar series to be hosted by COBRE investigators and the UD Allies for a Culture of Inclusive Diversity (ACID) committee. The center will develop resources for mentoring and professional development including Grant Development Awards, UD ACID activities, MIRA workshops, NIH Diversity Supplement workshops, and Career Long Collaborative workshops. Center progress will be evaluated by an Advisory Committee that will meet twice per year. Our Center will collaborate with other centers in the Delaware IDeA network, UD centers and the NIH funded Chemical-Biology Interface (CBI) Training grant centered at UD in order to maximize our research capacity. Discovery COBRE values the importance of diverse teams working together to maximize innovation. In Phase III, our center will create infrastructure for biomedical research teams who bring diverse backgrounds and expertise to our center.
