Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers

Funding for Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers (DDRCC)

NIDDK funds Digestive Diseases Centers via P30. Please see the DDRCC Application Resources for required tables and addition documentation.

View the DDRCC current schedule of review for funded centers.

Resources and Services Available from Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers

Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers generate investigative resources that can be made available to the broader research community. Centers also often support pilot and feasibility programs that fund small grants to generate preliminary data to include in larger grant applications and offer enrichment activities.  

Information about Digestive Disease Research Center Sites

The NIDDK aims to integrate, coordinate, and foster interdisciplinary cooperation between groups of established investigators that conduct high-quality research on digestive and/or liver diseases. An existing base of outstanding digestive and/or liver disease-related research is a prerequisite for the establishment of a Center. Research in these Centers focuses on the etiology, treatment, and prevention of digestive and/or liver diseases. Each Digestive Diseases Research Core Center has its own individual theme, which reflects the research projects and interests of the Investigators constituting its membership. A Center’s theme serves to focus its activities to meet the needs of its members and facilitate a defined area of NIDDK-related digestive or liver diseases science. Further information about the Centers can be found on the individual centers’ websites.

Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases (University of Pennsylvania)

• Research Aims: The scientific focus of the Center revolves host-environmental interactions in digestive and liver disease research from bench to bedside. Research amongst Center Investigators includes the molecular regulation of cellular processes in the digestive tract and liver, how they are integrated with the immune system, and their responses to environmental exposures such as diet and the microbiota. The Center is divided into three thematic areas: Intestinal Biology, Liver Biology, and Microbiology/Immunology. Center resources include four scientific cores to support research in both model systems and human subjects, a pilot project program, weekly seminar series, an annual retreat, and various enrichment programs.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Molecular Pathology & Imaging Core (MPIC)
    • Host-Microbial Analytic and Repository Core (H-MARC)
    • Genetically-modified Mouse Core (GMMC)
    • Biomedical Data Sciences Core (BDSC)
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • The goal of this program is to provide funds to support innovative exploratory studies in digestive and liver disease research that utilize Center biomedical research core facilities and will ultimately lead to extramural funding. The primary goal of this program is to support young investigators although established investigators in other areas of biomedical research who wish to apply their expertise to a problem in digestive and liver disease as well as those who wish to study an area that represents a significant departure from currently funded work are welcome to apply.

Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Massachusetts General Hospital)

• Research Aims: CSIBD continues to promote and facilitate digestive disease research that yields insight into inflammatory bowel disease pathogenesis and leads to therapeutic advancements. 
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Human Genetics and Microbiome Core
    • Cell Circuits and Immunology Core
    • Cellular and In Vivo Models Core
    • Clinical Core
      
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Young investigators (senior fellows or junior faculty) working in areas that will improve our understanding of basic processes relevant to inflammatory bowel disease
    • Established investigators initiating a new area of research in their laboratories relevant to mechanisms underlying inflammatory bowel disease

Cincinnati Digestive Health Center (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center)

• Research Aims: To promote research that will yield insights into the fundamental processes and pathogenic mechanisms of digestive disease in children and generate innovative treatment to restore digestive health.
  
  The Center’s long-term goals are to improve child health through better diagnosis, treatments and outcomes that will emerge from highly innovative work in our three key focus areas: 1) Mechanisms of Liver Disease, 2) Digestive Disease and Immunity, and 3) Stem Cell and Organoid Modeling of Digestive Diseases. Each focus area brings opportunities for a major impact on the digestive health of children, helps advance the national research agenda, and creates a unique environment to integrate research into patient care.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Gene Analysis Core
    • Integrative Morphology Core
    • Stem Cell/Organoid Core and Genome Editing Core
    • Clinical Component
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Supports innovative pilot projects that will lead to extramurally funded research and expansion of digestive disease research. The three complementary aims:
      • To foster the career development of junior digestive disease investigators
      • To encourage established investigators in other areas of biomedical research to extend their expertise to digestive disease research
      • To support highly focused new projects from established investigators exploring innovative new ideas that represent a significant departure from their funded research
    • Applications will be considered in all areas of digestive disease research with particular emphasis on the following Digestive Health Center (DHC) focus areas:
      • Mechanisms of Liver Disease
      • Digestive Disease and Immunity
      • Stem Cell and Organoid Modeling of Digestive Diseases

Cleveland Digestive Diseases Research Core Center (Case Western Reserve University)

• Research Aims: Cross-institutional and multi-disciplinary program between Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UHCMC), the Cleveland Clinic (CCF), and the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center (LSVAMC). The center’s two major themes are digestive inflammation and intestinal tumorigenesis, both of which represent well-established areas of collaborative investigation at CWRU.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Biorepository Core
    • Histology/Imaging Core
    • Mouse Models Core
    • Clinical Component
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Promote the development of independent research programs of junior investigators with an interest in digestive disease research by providing pilot resources;
    • Develop new research initiatives that will lead to competitive grant applications; and
    • Attract talented, established investigators in other fields to apply their research skills and expertise to digestive disease-related investigations.

Columbia University Digestive and Liver Disease Research Center (Columbia University)

• Research Aims: The CU-DLDRC seeks to contribute to improved prevention, detection and therapy of digestive diseases through the application of creative concepts, cutting-edge research methods, innovation and multidisciplinary team science, with a strong emphasis on clinical relevance and translation. Its interdisciplinary group of basic, translational and clinical researchers strives to provide improved understanding of disease-driving pathways, cell-cell interactions and therapeutic targets in digestive and liver diseases. The Center encompasses two thematic areas, “Epithelial Homeostasis, Metabolism and Regeneration” and “Epithelial Interactions in Inflammation and Preneoplasia”. CU-DLDRC resources include four biomedical cores, a pilot and feasibility program, and an enrichment program.
• Activities and Services
  • Cores
    • Clinical Biospecimen and Research Core (CBRC)
    • Bioinformatics and Single Cell Analysis Core (BSCAC)
    • Organoid and Cell Culture Core (OCCC)
    • Bioimaging Core (BIC)
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Early career basic or clinical investigators (without R01 or equivalent funding) or basic-clinical teams that seek to explore digestive- and liver-focused research topics
    • Established basic or clinical investigators seeking a new area of research in their laboratories relevant to digestive and liver disease
  • Enrichment Program
    • The enrichment program seeks to foster education and a collaborative environment in the CU-DLDRC through regular seminars, symposia and an annual center retreat
    • Promote the careers of trainees and new investigators through workshops and a dedicated mentorship program
    • Uphold the values of diversity, equity and inclusion in all education and career-promoting activities of enrichment program as well as entire CU-DLDRC
    • Increase scientific education and training through mini-sabbaticals and interactions with other DDRCCs and participation in local, regional and national conferences

Harvard Digestive Diseases Center (Harvard University)

• Research Aims: The Harvard Digestive Disease Center (HDDC) is a community of scientists focused on understanding the cellular, immune, and microbial biology of mucosal surfaces lining the alimentary tract: this is the Center’s Theme. We aim to elucidate the integrated cell and molecular biology of the epithelial, immune, neuronal, mesenchymal, and microbial cell types that comprise the complex ecosystem of the gut. 
  
  Our work has impact on the inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases of the stomach, intestine, and colon; on basic tissue and organ physiology; and on the gut microbiome and its interface with the host including effects on metabolism.
  
  The HDDC includes scientists in 4 major areas of research that are basic to understanding the mechanisms of normal digestive tract function and the pathogenesis of disease:
  
  • Cell, Developmental, and Stem Cell Biology of the Alimentary Tract
  • Innate and Adaptive Mucosal Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis
  • Gut Microbiology and Metabolism
  • Clinical and Translational Research on the Alimentary Tract
  
  Our signature research strategy fosters basic experimental biology, including discovery and computational approaches, and the Center supports a rapidly expanding program in human clinical and translational research.
  
  We have a major commitment to training, mentoring, and supporting young scientists in digestive disease research and to fostering the early careers of new faculty recruited to the HMS campus.
  
  The overarching mission of the HDDC is to foster better clinical, translational, and basic science in fields related to the digestive diseases by:
  • Connecting People,
  • Creating Opportunity,
  • Providing Critical Technologies, and
  • Extending Resources.

• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • CORE B: Microscopy and Histopathology Core
    • CORE C: Epithelial Cell Biology and Mucosal Immunology Core
    • CORE D: Gnotobiotic, Microbiology, and Metagenomics Core
    • Clinical and Translational Research Program
    • Program in Critical Resources
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • The HDDC is focused on the study of epithelial cell function and mucosal biology in inflammation, host defense, and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract and related mucosal surfaces. Pilot & Feasibility projects will be considered for support if they relate directly or indirectly to this mission. The program primarily targets young investigators in the process of establishing their independent research careers, but also allows established investigators from other fields to initiate digestive disease-related research.

Mayo Clinic Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology (Mayo Clinic)

• Research Aims: The mission of the Center is to provide a facilitative infrastructure that supports meaningful interactions among multidisciplinary scientists investigating cell signaling mechanisms in gastrointestinal cells and therapeutically exploiting these pathways to improve the health of patients with digestive diseases.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Clinical Core
    • Epigenomics Core
    • Optical Microscopy and Microfluidics Core
    • Pilot & Feasibility Program
      • Supports both new investigators just beginning their careers in digestive diseases research and innovative research proposals from experienced investigators who plan to change their area of research to digestive diseases.

MUSC Digestive Disease Research Core Center (Medical University of South Carolina)

• Research Aims: The mission of the Medical University of South Carolina Digestive Disease Research Core Center (MUSC DDRCC) is to enhance research infrastructure and expand research capacity to enable outstanding, collaborative biomedical research in digestive and liver diseases.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Analytical Cell Models
    • Advanced Imaging
    • Proteomics
    • Clinical Component
•  Pilot & Feasibility Program
  • Through Pilot and Feasibility project funding, attract and support junior investigators into the field. The P & F project additionally is expected to attract those who are not currently involved in digestive disease research to apply their expertise to this important area and help translate basic research discoveries to the clinical arena.
    

San Diego Digestive Diseases Research Center (SDDRC) draws on the ever-expanding biomedical research enterprise in the San Diego area, and the opportunity to select a unique subset of academic investigators for Center membership, whose work complements the thematic focus of the Center on "Inflammation in the Digestive Tract." Center investigators conduct outstanding research related to inflammation, immunity, and host-microbial interactions in both gastrointestinal tract and liver. Topics range from basic mechanisms governing inflammation, the role of infection, immune and inflammatory responses in preclinical studies, to translational studies and clinical trials with human tissues and well-defined patient populations.

• Research Aims: The aim of the research training program is to develop independent investigators who will devote their career to research on fundamental aspects of digestive diseases and train individuals from the adult and pediatric GI programs.
• Activities & Services 
  • Cores
    • Human Translational Core
    • Preclinical Models
      
    • Microbiomics and Functional Genomics
•  Pilot & Feasibility Program 
  • The SDDRC Pilot and Feasibility Program provides financial and mentoring support to facilitate and accelerate the development of innovative ideas in digestive disease research.

Pittsburgh Liver Research Center (University of Pittsburgh)

• Research Aims: The Pittsburgh Liver Research Center (PLRC) is a multidisciplinary center that builds on the strengths of UPMC, a leader in the delivery of innovative and cutting-edge clinical care, and the University of Pittsburgh, a leader in research, discovery, education, and innovation. Serving as a point of convergence for timely research in liver health and disease, PLRC fosters an intellectual exchange between clinicians and researchers to management of patients with liver disease. The PLRC is committed to providing a platform to enhance, enrich, and synergize scientific interactions and collaborations among various investigators in the field of liver pathobiology in three major areas - Regenerative Medicine, Chronic Liver Injury and Tumorigenesis. Specifically, the PLRC provides research funding, scientific and clinical core facilities, opportunities to network and collaborate, and education.
• Activities & Services 
  • Administrative Core
    Administrative core provides administrative leadership while seeking advice from the PLRC membership, External and Internal Advisory Boards.
  • Scientific Cores
    • Advanced Cell and Tissue Imaging Center
    • Clinical Biospecimen Repository and Processing Core
    • Genomics and Systems Biology Core
    • Human Synthetic Liver Biology Core
  • Pilot and Feasibility Program
    PLRC sponsors Pilot and Feasibility grants every year to especially support new investigators in liver related research projects, and provide longitudinal mentoring and career development opportunities.
  • Enrichment Program
    The enrichment program fosters community building while providing various opportunities of enrichment through seminars, work-in-progress meetings, clinician-scientist round tables, mini-retreats, and workshops.

Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center (Baylor College of Medicine)

• Research Aims: Facilitates cutting-edge digestive diseases research, promotes collaborative translational research between basic and clinical areas, develops new projects, nurtures new investigators, and provides GI educational activities.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Administrative
    • Cellular and Molecular Morphology
    • Functional Genomics and Microbiome Integrative Biology
    • Gastrointestinal Experimental Models Systems (GEMS)
    • Study Design and Clinical Research
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Supports pilot/feasibility (P/F) projects related the theme of GI Infection and Injury.

UNC Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease (University of North Carolina)

• Research Aims: The mission of the CGIBD is to promote and enhance multidisciplinary research to reduce the burden of digestive diseases.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Advanced Analytics
    • Biostatistics and Data Management
    • Gnotobiotic
    • Large Animal Models
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Proposed research must relate to digestive diseases.

UCSF Liver Center (University of California San Francisco)

• Research Aims: The mission of the Center is to enable scientific discovery and exchange to improve the lives of patients with liver disease.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Liver Cell Isolation, Analysis and Immunology Core
    • Liver Tissue Analysis Core
    • Liver Gene Analysis Core
    • Patient-Facing Research Core
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • The Pilot/Feasibility Award Program provides seed money to investigators who are attempting to launch new liver-related research projects. The goal of the program is to enable investigators to test new hypotheses and obtain preliminary data that can ultimately be expended into a large grant application.

University of Chicago Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Inflammatory Intestinal Disorders (University of Chicago)

• Research Aims: To foster and facilitate interdisciplinary and innovative, patient-oriented, research in the field of complex inflammatory digestive diseases, to understand and therapeutically exploit discoveries to improve the health of patients with digestive diseases.
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Integrative Clinical and Biospecimen Core
    • Host-Microbe Core
    • Tissue Engineering and Cell Models Core
    • Multiparametric Host Cell Analysis Core
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Program aimed at funding early stage investigators (principal target group), established faculty outside of gastrointestinal research who wish to extend their investigations into the mission of the C-IID and faculty conducting research in digestive health and diseases. Proposals that involve studies of inflammatory bowel diseases and related areas of intestinal inflammation, the gut immune system, the gut microbiome, host-microbe interactions, microbiome-based biotherapeutics, hepatic and digestive functions, host-microbe metabolism, and epithelial biology/developmental regulation of the gut will be given special consideration.

Vanderbilt Digestive Disease Research Center (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)

• Research Aims: The DDRC is a multidisciplinary center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center developed to serve the following purposes:
  • Promote digestive diseases-related research in an integrative, collaborative, diverse, supportive, and multidisciplinary manner
  • Develop and implement programs for attracting, training, and retaining young and diverse investigators in digestive disease-related research
  • Enhance the basic, translational, and clinical research capabilities of the VDDRC members
  • Facilitate the transfer of basic research discoveries to improvements in prevention and/or clinical care
  • Attract investigators not involved in digestive disease-related research to pursue these lines of investigation
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics Core
    • Cell Imaging Core
    • Flow Cytometry Core
    • Translational Analysis Core
    • Biostatistics Component
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • Provides Vanderbilt investigators the opportunity to explore nascent, meritorious hypotheses related to digestive diseases with the ultimate goal being acquisition of external funding and publication of new knowledge

Washington University Digestive Diseases Research Core Center (Washington University at St. Louis)

• Research Aims: The overarching mission of the Center is to promote collaborative, multidisciplinary research focused on interactions between host and environment in digestive disease. Our Center seeks to advance the health of patients with digestive diseases by supporting enabling technology and promoting the basic and translational research interests of its Full and Associate members, while nurturing the career development of junior investigators. Interests are organized around three major themes:
  • Host-microbial interactions, inflammation and mucosal immunity
  • Stem cells, epithelial renewal, paligenosis and cancer;
  • Metabolic homeostasis, nutrient transport and enterohepatic signaling
• Activities & Services
  • Cores
    • Administrative and Resource Access Core
    • Advanced Imaging & Tissue Analysis Core
    • Biobank Core
    • Precision Animal Models and Organoids Core
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • This program hopes to encourage young investigators and more established investigators in other field to approach problems which are relevant to our understanding of normal intestinal, liver and pancreatic function and to digestive diseases. We are particularly interested in projects that address issues in mucosal immunity, epithelial injury/repair, microbial interactions with intestinal, hepatic and pancreatic tissues. We would like to encourage efforts addressing intestinal motility and the application of novel genetic models (e.g. C. elegans, Drosophilia, etc) to address questions in GI tract development.

Yale Liver Center (Yale University)

• Research Aims: The Yale Liver Center's mission is to enhance knowledge of the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases and other related disorders of the digestive system, thereby advancing the nation's public health. It does so by stimulating basic, translational, and clinical research in this discipline at the University and by establishing core research facilities for use by multiple liver investigators.
• Activities & Services:
  • Cores
    • Administrative Core
    • Cellular and Molecular Physiology Core
    • Morphology Core Facility
    • Clinical and Translational Core
  • Pilot & Feasibility Program
    • The Pilot Feasibility Program seeks to introduce new investigators and ideas to the Liver Center, to promote novel ideas that may advance the field of hepatology, and to enable investigators to obtain data for future grant submissions, such as R01 applications.
  • Enrichment Program
    • The Enrichment Program provides opportunities for education and networking for the Liver Center members through a regular seminar series, an annual retreat, a ‘reverse mini-sabbatical’ program that brings visiting professors to the Center for a period of at least one month, a newsletter, and certain special scientific and educational programs.

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