C. trachomatis is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the US. In 2008, 1,210,523 chlamydial infections were reported to CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats08/trends.htm). If untreated, 10% of C. trachomatis-infected women may develop complications such as pelvic inflammatory diseases, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. The annual cost of treating C. trachomatis complications in women is >$2 billion.

Over 25% of the US population >65 years of age have type 2 diabetes and 80% of these individuals are overweight or obese. These individuals face shortened lifespans, increased health care needs, greater medical complications, and lower quality of life relative to those of similar age without these conditions. Lifestyle interventions focused on weight loss are recommended for overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes, but whether these interventions meaningfully improve the lives of older individuals with diabetes over extended follow-up is unknown.

A critical determinant of interindividual differences in HIV-1 susceptibility and disease progression rates to AIDS is CCR5 expression levels. Delineating the mechanisms that modulate intersubject differences in CCR5 expression levels is thus of indisputable importance and significance for understanding HIV-AIDS pathogenesis, development of effective strategies for treatment, epidemiological studies and vaccination trials.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by defects in insulin action and insulin secretion. Hyperglycemia is the primary pathophysiologic abnormality responsible for the microvascular, and to a lesser extent, macrovascular complications. Much in vivo and in vitro evidence in rodents demonstrates that chronic hyperglycemia can induce insulin resistance and cause beta cell dysfunction.

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) seeks renewal of its NCI designation originally awarded in 1991. The only academic Cancer Center in South Texas, the CTRC serves a large and predominantly Hispanic catchment area. The mission of the CTRC is to reduce the cancer burden in South Texas through the highest quality cancer care, ground-breaking research aimed at reducing the incidence and mortality of cancer, education of future cancer scientists and clinicians, and cancer prevention programs focused on our unique population. Dr. Ian M.