The Center of Excellence in Apoptosis Research (CEAR) is housed within the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute. CEAR's primary mission is to conduct interdisciplinary research on the signalling pathways that regulate apoptosis in a tissue-specific manner and help translate this research into new diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions. In so doing, CEAR will help address important health concerns while contributing to economic development in Massachusetts. Major areas of research will include: the reduction of apoptosis in cells to be used for tissue engineering by manipulating lineage-specific regulatory proteins; elucidation of the role of protein misfolding as a causative factor in neurodegenerative disorders; and the development of novel in vitro and in vivo screens for evaluating proteins that mediate apoptosis signaling. As part of this mission, CEAR will play a key role in training the next generation of scientists that will go to work in industry laboratories and academic institutions.

Initial support for CEAR has come from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's John Adams Innovation Institute and the UMass Science & Technology Initiatives Fund as well as PVLSI's founding partners.

In addition to serving as a home for the apoptosis research community, CEAR supports apoptosis-related research through several innovative grant programs. These programs were designed to stimulate research at both the initial idea and translational stages as well as to stimulate further development of the community itself.

Download the CEAR Overview