The National Institutes of Health has awarded UCSF a $6.5 million grant for a Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research (SCCPIR).
The Center for Reproductive Sciences, the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Womens Health received the grant for the establishment of the UCSF SCCPIR Center for a program titled Origins and Biological Consequences of Human Infertility.
Since it began in 1998, the main objective of the NIH SCCPIR was to establish a national network of centers aimed at improving human reproductive health through accelerated transfer of basic science findings into clinical practice. The SCCPIR is a research-based centers program designed to promote multidisciplinary interactions between basic and clinical scientists, with the ultimate goal of improving human reproductive health.
The principal investigator of the UCSF center is Linda C. Giudice, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and the associate principal investigator is Synthia Mellon, PhD, professor, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences.
The key investigators and their projects are:
* Renee Reijo Pera, PhD, professor and director, Human Embryonic Stem Cell Program, Stanford University: Germ cell development and the genetics of human infertility;
* Susan J. Fisher, PhD, professor, Department of Cell and Tissue Biology: Notch signaling and human trophoblast differentiation;
* Linda C. Giudice, MD, PhD, professor and chair, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences: Paracrine interactions in human implantation;
* Paolo Rinaudo, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences: Trophoblast differentiation in in vitro and in vivo fertilized oocytes;
* Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Urology and Pathology: Micro RNAs in trophoblast differentiation.
Under the leadership of Dr. Giudice, UCSF is well positioned to take a key role in the Cooperative Centers Program by promoting the translation of basic research findings into better clinical practices for human fertility, says Nancy Milliken, MD, vice dean in the UCSF School of Medicine and director of the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Womens Health.
The UCSF center, a key member of the interconnection with other SCCPIR centers, was launched this fall. The center is supported by administrative and morphology/imaging cores.
"As we reflect on the advances of the last decade and celebrate UCSFs 10th anniversary as a nationally designated center of excellence in womens health, we are excited about this collaborative effort and the opportunity it affords to further advance the scope of reproductive research in womens health throughout the United States. It is another way in which we are working to truly transform health and improve lives," says Giudice.
Related Links:
Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research, National Institutes of Health
UCSF National Center of Excellence in Womens Health
