COBRE 2 Research Project Leader Project 4

The COBRE award establishes the University of New England Center for Cell Signaling Research (CCSR) through a five-year, $10.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. This Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence is designed to build sustainable, innovative biomedical research capacity at UNE with a principal focus on defects in cell signaling—fundamental mechanisms implicated in a wide range of human diseases including dementia, diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease. The CCSR organizes its initial research effort around four faculty-led projects, and one of those projects, led by Luis Queme will develop a cohesive research community focused on cellular communication and its role in chronic and age-related disease.

The COBRE funding supports both scientific and infrastructure objectives. Scientifically, the center emphasizes research into how cells communicate and how disruptions in those pathways contribute to disease processes that disproportionately affect rural populations, like those in Maine. The award positions UNE to explore pressing clinical questions across the lifespan, particularly chronic metabolic and degenerative conditions, with the long-term aim of improving health and quality of life for Mainers. Institutionally, the grant will finance renovations to create nearly 5,000 square feet of new research laboratory space in the Alfond Center for Health Sciences on UNE’s Biddeford Campus, expanding the university’s capability to conduct advanced biomedical investigations.

UNE frames the CCSR as part of a strategic investment to unify biomedical and biotechnology research infrastructure across its Biddeford and Portland campuses. The award reinforces the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (COM) research mission and contributes to UNE’s reputation as a highly funded osteopathic medical school. The CCSR builds on UNE’s prior success with COBRE-supported research, including the Center for Pain Research established in 2012, making UNE the only institution in Maine with two NIH-funded COBRE centers. Beyond campus impact, the center aligns with regional and statewide priorities in biotechnology and biomanufacturing, supporting workforce development and training opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students interested in careers in biotech. This alignment with Maine’s growing life sciences sector underscores the potential economic and public health implications of the CCSR’s work.

The CCSR seeks to advance understanding of cell signaling defects and develop insights that could translate into better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting rural and broader populations.