10:32 a.m., June 25, 2010----The Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), a statewide, multi-institutional program funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources (NIH-NCRR), and administered by the University of Delaware, has transitioned to a new leadership team. The announcement was made today by Mark Barteau, UD's senior vice provost for research and strategic initiatives.

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Karl Steiner, senior associate provost for research development and professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been appointed principal investigator of Delaware INBRE, and Steven Stanhope, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, will serve as program coordinator and chair of the INBRE research committee.

The Delaware INBRE was launched in 2001 under the leadership of David Weir, director of UD's Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships and former director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, as principal investigator and Karl Steiner as program coordinator.

Over the past 10 years, the program has won more than $44 million in research grants from NIH-NCRR.

“The INBRE program has been a remarkable success for Delaware,” Barteau said. “We thank David Weir for his leadership over the past decade in leading the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the INBRE program with the goal of building a sustainable life sciences capability in the state. I know that Karl and Steven are the right team to continue this important program, and with their joint experience, they will lead INBRE to new and exciting, inter-institutional health sciences initiatives in Delaware and the region.”

Partners in the Delaware INBRE include two medical centers -- Christiana Care Health System and Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children -- and four academic institutions -- Delaware State University, Wesley College, Delaware Technical and Community College, and UD.

The program's primary goals are to support early-career faculty in mentored biomedical research; strengthen Delaware's biomedical research infrastructure; integrate undergraduate institutions and their students in the research process; and enhance biomedical workforce development throughout the state.

In addition to supporting bioinformatics initiatives, core instrumentation centers, and undergraduate research opportunities, the Delaware INBRE provides pilot grant support for research projects in three focus areas: cancer, cardiovascular science, and the neurosciences.

“The Delaware INBRE has had a tremendous impact on the state by developing a thriving inter-institutional biomedical research capability at UD and at our partner institutions,” Steiner said. “The amount of funding awarded by NIH to institutions in Delaware has quadrupled over the past decade, while the actual NIH budget only slightly more than doubled during that same time period. This means that Delaware has actually enhanced its national competitive position in biomedical research.

“INBRE has played a key role in this transition, as Delaware's institutions have undergone significant transformations on each of their campuses,” Steiner continued. “We intend to build on this strong foundation and continue to develop and implement innovative programs to further strengthen Delaware's national competiveness in the biomedical arena to better serve the needs of Delaware.”

Stanhope said, “I am delighted to be joining the INBRE team at this very dynamic time for Delaware's biomedical research enterprise. Under David Weir's leadership, INBRE created key infrastructures that effectively supported the efforts of numerous outstanding young and early career scientists throughout the region. As a result, there now exists a burgeoning group of transformative scientists who are ready and eager to translate their research to the health sciences arena and the region's biomedical industries. Karl Steiner's vision for the INBRE program will continue the state's strong growth in national competitiveness while pressing forward to further support the translation of biomedical sciences to the region's pressing health care challenges.”

Over the past decade, the INBRE program has helped to lay the foundation for the establishment of the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance (DHSA), which includes three INBRE partner institutions -- UD, Christiana Care Health System, and Nemours -- and combines their respective capabilities with the expertise at Delaware's medical school, Thomas Jefferson University.

“I am delighted that Karl and Steven have accepted the leadership responsibility for the Delaware INBRE,” said Kathy Matt, dean of the College of Health Sciences and DHSA executive director. “It is a very important program for both the college and for the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance. Five faculty members out of the College of Health Sciences are currently funded by the INBRE with pilot grant projects that provide critical funds to develop preliminary data for future research proposals. In addition, the INBRE program provides biomedical infrastructure support for three of the four members in the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance and has a catalytic effect on meeting the overall goals of the alliance.”

For more information, visit the Delaware INBRE and Delaware Health Sciences Alliance websites.

Photo by Evan Krape