A multidisciplinary center using synthesis, chemical biology and computation to develop molecular approaches for understanding and treating human disease

In this NIH IDeA Center Of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE),  a team of scientists is developing new approaches for the discovery of molecules that can be used to study and treat a number of diseases, including breast cancer, renal cancer, Crohn’s disease, tuberculosis, and Legionnaires disease.  Using a multidisciplinary approach, this center is developing new libraries for high-throughput screening, developing chemical biology tools for studying molecular mechanisms of disease, providing perspectives on innate immune response, developing new molecules for renal cancer treatment, enabling new screening technology and advancing the state-of-the-art in virtual screening.

Discovery of Chemical Probes and Therapeutic Leads by the Numbers

Accomplishments Include:

• After joining COBRE, investigators have raised >$76M in non-IDeA funding
• Retention (as of 9/24). 27 of 31 COBRE investigators remain at UD. 16 successful tenure & promotion decisions to date. 7 Investigators from Phase 1 are now Full Professors.
• 215 COBRE supported Publications by COBRE Investigators. (24% in IF 10.0+ journals; 73% in IF 4.0+ journals).
  85 additional publications cite utilizing COBRE core facilities.
• COBRE investigators gave over 700 invited talks.
• COBRE investigators recognized through >45 national awards.
• Expansion through 5 faculty hires, lab renovation and creation of core facility infrastructure on UD’s new STAR campus.
• Core facilities with 42 major instruments ($7.5M) are campus hubs for molecular research serving 80 PIs and 590 researchers.