The Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (LBRN), administered by the Division of Biotechnology & Molecular Medicine (BioMMeD) at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, has been awarded a five-year, $20.3 million renewal grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research in the United States.
This renewal marks a major milestone in advancing biomedical research capacity across Louisiana.
Established in 2001, the LBRN is a statewide program dedicated to enhancing faculty development, student training, and research infrastructure across Louisiana’s public and private institutions. Over the past two decades, LBRN has played a vital role in fostering collaborative research, advancing STEM education, expanding opportunities for students from high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels, and faculty development at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) throughout Louisiana.
“We are proud to serve as the administrative home for LBRN,” said Gus Kousoulas, PhD, department head, director of BioMMeD, and professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at LSU Vet Med. “This renewed investment allows us to deepen our commitment to supporting researchers and students across Louisiana while launching new initiatives in areas like artificial intelligence, data science, and interdisciplinary research.”
“We are thankful to all our partner institutions and to the dedicated team whose hard work has contributed to the success of the program,” added Ojasvi Dutta, assistant director of BIoMMeD and program manager for LBRN, and Seetharama Jois, PhD, PBS professor and LBRN program coordinator. “The recently developed LBRN Training Platform, built and managed in collaboration with BioMMeD, will serve as a cornerstone for advancing biomedical research training in the years ahead.”
In addition to the NIH funding, LBRN has secured approximately $1.91 million in matching and cost-sharing support from state and institutional partners, including:
-$1.2 million over five years from the Louisiana Board of Regents
-$100,000 each from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSU Health New Orleans, LSU Health Shreveport, and Tulane University
-$30,000 each from seven primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) to support undergraduate summer research and infrastructure, totaling $210,000
-Nearly $100,000 from LSU School of Veterinary Medicine