Pilot/Exploratory Studies Core

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Pilot / Exploratory Studies Core (PESC): Project Summary The overall goal of the Pilot / Exploratory Studies Core (PESC) is to cultivate and support cutting edge pilot and exploratory studies that will advance the development of effective prevention and/or therapies for frailty and hence facilitate independence in older adults. The PESC Core leader, in close collaboration with other core leaders, set scientific goals for the next stages of frailty research, and then work to identify investigators whose expertise and career goals would be applicable to furthering our knowledge in the targeted areas. These leaders search for pilot and exploratory studies that can collect data required in order to select or design the future large-scale or confirmatory studies needed to establish frailty mechanisms, determine etiologies, or develop novel treatment and screening approaches. Studies selected for funding in the first year of this cycle include a study that pilots a behavioral intervention to concurrently address pain and frailty in older African American women, a metabolomic study that seeks to identify frailty-related metabolite signatures of energy dysregulation through a C 13 labeled glucose tolerance test, and study that seeks to further understanding of the connection between sleep disturbance and frailty by identifying specific polysomnographic signatures implicated, using functional data analysis, and exploring a potential cyclical relationship. The specific aims of the PESC are to 1) advance the science and translation of frailty research by providing intellectual leadership necessary to identify targeted areas of research and investigators that can best accomplish the translational goals of this OAIC, 2) to support the development of well-designed and informative pilot studies, 3) to provide and conduct longitudinal mentorship to supported investigators through completion of the pilot award and pursuit of funding for the next stage of research, 4) to further guide the translation of any pilot study results, and 5) to expand the research environment and network of frailty-focused investigators needed to accomplish the overall OAIC goals. These aims will be carried out in close collaboration with biostatistics, biological mechanisms, and clinical translational and recruitment core leaders to ensure optimal design and access to core resources needed for study success. Important findings from this core can be broadly disseminated through the new Information Dissemination Core (IDC) proposed in this application. This core will guide the translation of pilot work into a deeper understanding of the basic biology and population implications of frailty and into interventions that will prevent or treat frailty hence help maintain independence.