GSDRC

In support of fostering cooperation among the following institutions:

• Columbia University Medical Center Skin Diseases Resource Center (CUMC-SDRC)
• Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine
• Program in Epithelial Biology, Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine
• The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Skin Diseases Resource Center (UCAMC-SDRC)
• Collaborative Research Center (CRC 829) “Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Skin Homeostasis” at the University of Cologne (UoC)
• Skin Research Institute of Singapore, Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore

The long-term goal of this collaborative agreement is to provide joint opportunities to foster the creation of novel approaches and insights into cutaneous biology, disease pathogenesis and clinical dermatology by coordinating multidisciplinary research aimed at finding innovative translational approaches to improve the care of patients with skin diseases as well as to train the scientific leaders of tomorrow.

The research activities in New York, Tokyo, Stanford, Denver, Cologne and Singapore are in many ways complementary in their emphasis on pathways and/or approaches. This cooperative agreement among these Institutions is designed to provide synergies and benefits for all six Institutions as follows:

• Synergistic impact on:
• Research activities and translation
• Innovative approaches
• Model systems
• Patient cohorts
• Developing a global view of dermatologic research
• Unique international resource for training and networking opportunities for PhD and MD/PhD students and Postdocs

Plans for accomplishing these goals include the following:

• Bi-annual symposium supported by the six Institutions
• Bi-annual summer school for PhD and MD/PhD students and postdocs
• Exchange of PhD and MD/Phd students and postdocs to learn new techniques and approaches, and to promote collaborative projects between laboratories of the Institutions
• Exchange of faculty for short periods
• Establish a web-based inventory to promote exchange of mouse models, other animal models, disease-specific iPS cells, reagents and protocols
• Annual videoconference