NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has received an $11.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish a research center focused on obesity.
The Nebraska Center for the Prevention of Obesity Diseases through Dietary Molecules, or NPOD, will build on the university's research in nutrition and health. It also will collaborate with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which aims to establish a community of researchers in genetics, biochemistry, food science, immunology, and computer science.
According to the university, the center is developing a centralized research facility in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and biostatistics.
"This new center puts UNL at the cutting edge of new research approaches to preventing obesity-related diseases. It also provides resources for expanding our faculty and facilities," Prem Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research and economic development, said in a statement released today.
The five-year grant is from the NIH's Center of Biomedical Research Excellence program. The new center is UNL's third NIH Center for Biomedical Research Excellence, following the establishment of the Nebraska center for Virology in 2000 and the Redox Biology Center in 2002.