About the DDRCC

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.

The Center is dedicated to fostering and facilitating the interdisciplinary and collaborative research of its 71 current full and associate members and the career development of junior faculty. Currently, 41 full members contribute to a stable research base of  $18.5M in federal funding.

The DDRCC’s central theme is focused on the continuum of organ injury, inflammation, and fibrosis - leading to disease. This continuum is highly relevant in the vast majority of digestive and liver diseases and incorporates research in both basic cell and molecular biology and clinical techniques; some examples include the esophagus (esophagitis), stomach and small bowel, liver (represented in almost all forms of liver injury), pancreas (especially chronic pancreatitis), and colon (inflammatory bowel diseases).

Thus, the key goal of the DDRCC is to bring together investigators studying digestive and liver diseases and provide them with core resources and collaborative opportunities to further their scientific inquiries.

Our Goals:

1. Foster collaboration among digestive and liver disease researchers to further augment the Center's research capacity while ensuring the success of a critical mass of outstanding researchers in digestive and liver diseases.
   
   

2. 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.
    

3. Develop sustainable scientific core resources to support digestive and liver disease studies while leveraging institutional investments. The DDRCC scientific cores include:

   • Analytical Cell Models Core

   • Advanced Imaging Core

   • Proteomics Core

   • Clinical Component
      

4. Promote the long-term success and sustainability of the DDRCC through a rigorous Center evaluation and process improvement strategy, mission alignment with other centers at MUSC, and a specific long-term institutional commitment to the Center.

For more information about the DDRCC, please contact the DDRCC Center Manager.