COBRE 2: UNE Center for Cell Signaling Research

University of New England’s newly established Center for Cell Signaling Research (CCSR), a National Institutes of Health-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)is  made possible by a $10.8 million award. This center will lead a multidisciplinary team of faculty investigators and oversee the development and strategic operation of an In Vitro Analytical Core (IVAC) that will provide critical instrumentation and cell culture capabilities to accelerate research. The CCSR builds on UNE’s prior COBRE success and positions the university as the only institution of higher learning in Maine to host two NIH-funded research centers, reflecting UNE’s expanding role as a biomedical research engine for the state. The CCSR will support four biomedical research faculty and fund the IVAC facility to enable primary cell and cell line culture, functional imaging, and transcriptional and protein-based analyses.

The CCSR has a broad translational focus on the mechanisms governing cellular communication and how those signaling processes influence human disease. The center’s stated priorities include research that could lead to novel therapeutic interventions for pressing health issues such as dementia, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease. By concentrating on cell signaling pathways, the CCSR aims to illuminate fundamental biological processes that underlie tissue repair, pain, metabolic dysfunction, and neurodegeneration.

The IVAC will serve as a central, shared resource for the CCSR and the broader UNE research community, offering consultation on experimental design, technical approaches, and data interpretation. Ling Cao, M.D., Ph.D., will lead the IVAC and bring expertise in immunology and chronic pain, including a separate five-year, $1.7 million NIH grant focused on developing a novel drug to alleviate HIV-associated neuropathic pain.

Together, center leadership and project investigators will leverage the IVAC to support regenerative medicine work—such as Balog’s efforts to develop protein sensors and investigate growth factor receptor roles in blood vessel formation and wound healing—as well as projects targeting the cellular bases of pain, impaired wound healing, and tumor formation. By centralizing instrumentation, fostering mentorship, and supporting interdisciplinary projects, the CCSR under Molliver’s direction seeks to advance mechanistic understanding of cell signaling and translate those insights into therapies that improve health outcomes, particularly for populations in rural Maine.