Pennington Biomedical awarded renewal of NIH-funded Center to advance metabolic disease research

Following a competitive review process, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for Pennington Biomedical’s Metabolic Basis of Disease Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) was renewed for an additional five years. This Phase II renewal builds on the momentum achieved since the center’s establishment in 2020, enabling continued support for young scientists who are focused on the mechanisms through which nutrition and metabolism contribute to health.

Jackie Stephens

“The renewal of this center grant provides Pennington Biomedical with the opportunity to continue a metabolic disease research focus that benefits the state of Louisiana, which has a disproportionately high incidence of metabolic diseases,” said Dr Jackie Stephens, Director and Principal Investigator of this five-year center grant. 

This five-year renewal will provide approximately $2.2M per year to support three essential features for research:

• The center will provide direct research support for three junior researcher positions, with the goal of supporting multiple scientists through the program as they develop independence. When researchers successfully secure independent funding, they graduate from the program, creating opportunities to recruit additional early-career scientists in Louisiana.

• The center will directly support infrastructure related to Genomics, Bioimaging, and Preclinical Disease research. Competitive research is dependent on state-of-the-art equipment and expertise, and COBRE-funded infrastructure enables Pennington Biomedical researchers to stay at the forefront of their fields.

• The center will support a Pilot and Feasibility research program, providing direct support to early-stage ideas and discoveries.

“I’m proud of our faculty’s work in metabolic health research, and this NIH funding recognizes the importance of what we're building together. Our Metabolic Basis of Disease Center focuses on understanding the basic mechanisms that regulate metabolic health, research that’s vital as we work to address the obesity epidemic and its related illnesses,” said Dr John Kirwan, Pennington Biomedical Executive Director. “This center will provide our researchers with state-of-the-art scientific cores and enhanced resources, while helping us mentor and develop the next generation of independent scientists. It’s about creating an environment where exceptional science can flourish.”

When the Metabolic Basis of Disease Center first launched in 2020, it marked a milestone for Pennington Biomedical and for the regional biomedical research landscape. That first phase laid a robust foundation: recruiting talented early-stage faculty, establishing shared-use cores, and supporting pilot projects that would catalyse independent funding.

The previous five-year COBRE award supported seven researchers, who in that period generated over $6 million of independent funding as they established their independent research programs. Overall, the Metabolic Basis of Disease Center supports 14 professional jobs in Louisiana for five years.

“This renewal of our Metabolic Basis of Disease Center builds directly on our institutional strengths,” added Stephens. “Our two research cores, Molecular Mechanisms and Preclinical Research, provide scientists with advanced capabilities in imaging, genomics, bioinformatics, and disease modeling that are essential for understanding metabolic health. Federal funding is extremely competitive. Louisiana is one of 23 states that are awarded less than 7 percent of all government biomedical research funding. To make our young people competitive, we have to provide them with additional skill sets and training. The first 5 years of the COBRE were extremely successful, supporting Louisiana scientists and recruiting new talent to Louisiana. We expect to continue this success with this renewal.”

During Phase II of the grant, the center will have a stronger emphasis on bioinformatics and will also establish a new Pilot and Feasibility Program to identify new research project leaders to promote metabolic basis of disease research. Approximately $150,000/year is available to fund two-to-four Pilot and Feasibility awards each year.