University of Florida Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC)

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Project Summary The mission of the University of Florida Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) is twofold: 1) to optimize older persons’ physical performance and mobility through interdisciplinary approaches to promote independence; and 2) to train early stage investigators in aging and disability research while developing their leadership qualities. Our goal is to enhance late-life health and independence, with a special focus on mobility. To accomplish our mission, our strategy is to attract studies and inventive investigators from diverse behavioral, clinical, basic, and technological science disciplines with a common research focus on “promotion of mobility and independence.” Traversing the entire spectrum of biomedical investigation, including molecular biology, animal studies, clinical research, behavioral sciences, epidemiology, data science, artificial intelligence, and engineering, our research effort addresses the OAIC’s general goal: to increase scientific knowledge that leads to better ways to maintain or restore independence of older people. Our research objectives are to: 1) assess, using geroscience and translational research, the biological, co-morbid, psychosocial, environmental, behavioral, cognitive, and other factors that contribute to cognitive and physical function decline, loss of mobility, and loss of independence; and 2) develop and reliably test, in clinical and preclinical studies, interventions that target mobility to prevent, delay, or recover the age-related declines in physical and cognitive function. Our educational objective is to train future leaders in clinical translational research on aging. To meet these objectives the proposed OAIC trains Research Education Core (REC) Scholars and supports investigators, resources, services, external studies, development projects, and pilot/exploratory studies through seven integrated cores: • Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC); • Research Education Core (REC); • Pilot/Exploratory Studies Core (PESC); • Clinical Research Core (RC1); • Metabolism and Translational Science Core (RC2); • Biostatistics Core (RC3); and • Data Science and Applied Technology Core (RC4). In this renewal OAIC application we will augment the wealth of expertise and remarkable track record of success of the current funding cycle. A relevant strength of our OAIC is the concerted action of the interdisciplinary cores, projects, and investigators who address one common research focus spanning the entire spectrum of biomedical investigation.