Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

99 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org M E D I C A L The McLaughlin Research Institute of Great Falls, has received a prestigious $13.8M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch the Center for Integrated Biomedical and Rural Health Research (CIB-RHR) and expand the research enterprise over the next fi ve years. Dr. Renee Reijo Pera, CEO and Director of the McLaughlin Research Institute, is the principal investigator of the newly awarded grant. This new center of research within the McLaughlin Research Institute is a part of the NIH Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) network across the United States and is the fi rst Center of Excellence grant to be awarded to the state of Montana outside of Bozeman and Missoula, home of the fl agship universities. CoBRE centers are funded through three competitive phases of fi ve years each; this is a Phase I award. The CIB-RHR will use a novel model to strengthen biomedical research infrastructure outside of the traditional university system to provide opportunity and solutions to rural Montanans across the state. Indeed, Dr. Reijo Pera indicated "it is a great pleasure to look out my window in the morning to see a herd of antelope and then travel to our Institute to do biomedical research; I am sure this is unique in the United States." The focus on integrated biomedical and rural health research will enable recruitment of additional healthcare researchers and build cohesiveness around a common goal to address rural health in a multi-disciplinary fashion that includes basic, translational, and clinical studies. The CIB-RHR is based at the McLaughlin Research Institute and is a collaboration between faculty in the established partnership between the Institute and the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Montana (Touro COM-MT) and seeks to provide research opportunities for education and participation in clinical trials to those across the state. The CIB-RHR will enhance the research infrastructure through career development, recruit additional healthcare researchers over the next fi ve years and build and maintain McLaughin Research Institute of Great Falls The McLaughlin Research Institute of Great Falls, Montana, has received a prestigious $13.8M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch the Center for Integrated Biomedical and Rural Health Research (CIB-RHR). Investigating Neutrophil Apoptosis as a Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's Disease Modulation of Exosome Release for Functional Restoration in Age-related Retinal Disorders Investigation of Superoxide Dismutase I in Parkinson's Disease Comprehensive Phenotypic Profi ling of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) to Assess Transmissibility and Species Barriers The fi rst four projects in the Center for Integrated Biomedical and Rural Health Research Project Project Director(s) Title I II III IV Dr. Tiff any Hensley-McBain Dr. Mikael Klingeborn Dr. Moses Leavens Dr. Andrea Grindeland Investigating Neutrophil Apoptosis as a Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's Disease Modulation of Exosome Release for Functional Restoration in Age-related Retinal Disorders Investigation of Superoxide Dismutase I in Parkinson's Disease Comprehensive Phenotypic Profi ling of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) to Assess Transmissibility and Species Barriers The fi rst four projects in the Center for Integrated Biomedical and Rural Health Research Project Project Director(s) Title I II III IV Dr. Tiff any Hensley-McBain Dr. Mikael Klingeborn Dr. Moses Leavens Dr. Andrea Grindeland

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