LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College remains part of a network of Idaho higher education institutions to receive an IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) grant to help build Idaho’s biomedical workforce.
The 11 institutions that make up the Idaho INBRE network received a five-year, $17 million award from the National Institutes of Health. The broad aim of the INBRE program is to increase funding in states that historically receive less research funds. In Idaho, the focus is on increasing biomedical research, infrastructure, education, and the student pipeline into the sciences.
The research being conducted in Idaho includes new antibiotics, brain trauma, safety issues with e-cigarettes, cancer therapeutics and improvements for wound healing. At LCSC, under the director of science professors Matt Johnston and Jane Finan, the focus is on biomedical education and providing the LCSC faculty the opportunity to mentor undergraduate research students.
Each summer, LCSC students work in research laboratories at colleges and universities around the state. These 10-week fellowships provide students with hands-on experience in established biomedical research laboratories. Students are provided with a $6,000 stipend and money for research supplies. At the end of the summer, students present their research findings at the Idaho INBRE Annual Research Conference.
The is the third renewal of the grant at LCSC, which has been part of the Idaho INBRE since 2004. The current renewal will mean LCSC has received more than $1 million in direct funding during the 15 years the college has been involved.
The Idaho INBRE networks also consists of the University of Idaho, Boise State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, College of Idaho, College of Southern Idaho, College of Western Idaho, Idaho State University, Idaho Veterans Research and Education Foundation, North Idaho College and Northwest Nazarene University.
Idaho INBRE has been awarded more than $77 million since 2001 to help expand biomedical research capacity at member institutions.
For more information on the Idaho INBRE program, visit https://inbre.uidaho.edu