North Carolina Central University February 5, 2013 New Magazine Highlights Research at NCCU The inaugural issue of Quest, a magazine focusing on research performed at North Carolina Central University, was published this month by the university's Division of Research and Economic Development. The magazine is available in online and print formats. "Research and scholarship have always been a vital part of the mission at NCCU, and Quest helps us share our successes with the broader community," said Hazell Reed, NCCU's vice chancellor for research and economic development. "Our professors and researchers are securing patents and developing new drugs. They are making discoveries and opening new areas of inquiry in the sciences, social sciences and liberal arts." One key area of research focus at NCCU is health disparities - the large gaps in health status that exist between America's racial and ethnic minorities and the population as a whole. Three researchers whose work is highlighted in this issue of Quest are engaged in finding causes and treatments for diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect African-Americans. Dr. Antonio Baines is expanding human knowledge about the sequence of molecular events that lead to pancreatic cancer. Dr. Darlene Taylor is developing more effective treatments for uterine fibroids, the most common gynecologic tumor among women of childbearing age. Dr. Jonathan Sexton is developing drugs to treat type 2 diabetes. Reed noted that NCCU has been attracting steadily growing support for its research from sponsors such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Sponsored research grants have increased from $9.3 million in 2007 to more than $25 million in 2011, and from fiscal year 2007 through 2012, the university has received nearly $120 million in sponsored research support. The university is home to two research institutes, where scientists and students collaborate to learn the causes and develop treatments for diseases, the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE) and the Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI). Quest magazine can be viewed online here<http://www.nccu.edu/formsdocs/proxy.cfm?file_id=2095>. A limited number of print copies are available from the NCCU Office of Public Relations. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.