Director: Neil Kaplowitz, M.D.
Executive Committee Members
Core Facilities: Cell Culture | Molecular Biology | Subcellular Organelle
CVs: Neil Kaplowitz | Murad Ookhtens | Maria Runnegar
Description:
USC Center for Liver Diseases is an NIH Digestive Disease Core Center. The goal is to
facilitate and attract young and established scientists to digestive disease-related research through the provision of needed laboratory core facilities, educational enrichment programs and support of pilot/feasibility projects.
Research Base:
The scientific research base consists of approximately thirty NIH funded scientists working on one of four major themes:
- liver membrane transport and cell biology
- viral hepatitis
- hepatotoxicity, inflammation and fibrosis
- metabolism and molecular biology
Core Facilities:
Three Scientific and an Administrative Core are in operation. Each Core supports a technician; therefore there is cost savings for investigators by providing specialized services at the cost of supplies but not technician time. The Scientific Cores are as follows and detailed descriptions are on the following pages:
1. Cell Culture Core (Director: Shelly Lu, M.D.) Rat and human hepatocytes, fresh isolated or plated, and various cell lines.
2. Subcellular Organelle Core (Directors: Austin Mircheff, Ph.D., Murad Ookhtens, Ph.D.) Canalicular and sinusoidal domaine-enriched liver membrane vesicles.
3. Molecular Biology Core (Director: Andrew Stolz, M.D.) Oligonucleotide synthesis, isolation of Xenopus laevis oocytes for microinjection, plasmid preparation and custom services such as recombinant protein expression in bacteria.
Eligibility
Use of Core Facilities is available to all scientists on the Health Science Campus with priority given to Center Members and Affiliated Members. Members are individuals who are conducting NIH supported research in digestive diseases, or have pilot feasibility projects or are Core Directors. Affiliated members are individuals conducting NIH supported research in other areas or nonfunded liver research. Membership or Affiliated Membership requires submission of NIH Biographical Sketch and listing of research support for review and approval by the Center Executive Committee.
Education Program
USC Liver Center Members and Guests are welcome to attend our Liver Center Seminar Series held every Thursday at noon in the AHC Auditorium. These seminars consist of monthly mini-series of selected topics. Speakers are selected based on the recommendation from the Center Theme Coordinators and members.
Financial Support
Funding for support of Pilot/Feasibility Projects for a period of one year is available beginning each March 1st and a second year of support can be awarded contingent on progress. The deadline date for letters of intent is generally in mid-November.
Please contact the Center Office for further information at (323) 442-5571.
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