About BARC

The Balance and Auditory Research Center (BARC) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is an NIH/NIGMS Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE, P20GM156708) in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. BARC builds a critical mass of independent investigators in vestibular and auditory neuroscience, supported by an Administrative Core (Core A), the Molecular Neuroscience and Imaging Core (Core B) and the Neurophysiology Core (Core C).

Research Focus Areas

• Gene therapy
• Hair cell regeneration
• Traumatic brain injury
• Neurodegenerative diseases, including hearing loss and cognitive decline

Purpose

Core vouchers let investigators try BARC core services before committing grant funds.

Eligible Services

• Core B, Molecular Neuroscience arm: mouse genotyping, sperm cryopreservation and long-term storage of mouse lines.
• Core B, Imaging arm: cochlear and vestibular specimen preparation, confocal and electron microscopy, image analysis.
• Core C, Neurophysiology: ABR and DPOAE testing, vestibular sensory evoked potentials (VsEP), vestibulo-ocular reflex testing, noise and blast injury models.

Award Information

Up to $5,000 in core services per investigator per year. Vouchers are paid directly to the core; no funds go to the investigator.

Eligibility

Faculty, postdoctoral fellows (with mentor approval) at UMMC and at IDeA-funded institutions in Mississippi.

Application

A 2-page project description with the services and a cost estimate from the Core Director, and an NIH biosketch. Applications are reviewed monthly by the BARC Executive Committee.

Contact

Wu Zhou, Ph.D., Professor and Director of BARC; Nekeisha Johnson, Project Manager and Coordinator of BARC. The Balance and Auditory Research Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216.