Scientific Integration and Administration

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CORE A- Abstract The success of multidisciplinary, multi-investigator scientific programs critically depends not only on the scientific quality of the individual research programs and their thematic synergy, but equally on the ability of the group to work together and to stay on course to accomplish larger goals of the common endeavor. Even greater scientific advancements are possible if teams can enhance the quality of science by cross-fertilization of ideas and the potential to draw new conclusions from cross-analysis of data contributed by studying different components of the same system (organism). Coordination of the above issues is particularly critical when the area of research lies at an interface of two complex disciplines, as is clearly the case with research at the interface of immunology and gerontology. All of the above necessitates a deliberate and systematic approach to ensure Program success at all levels. To that effect, the Scientific Integration and Administration Core (Core A) will be the nerve center of the Program, coordinating every aspect of its scientific and administrative progress. Specific Aims are to: SA1. Ensure scientific communication and exchange via: (i) regular monthly group videoconference meetings; (ii) a common and interactive experimental planning and data sharing space – the Thymus Rejuvenation PPG GoogleDoc platform and (iii) annual in-person PPG progress meetings. This Core will also organize and promote animal, tissue and reagent sharing via the above three means. SA2. Ensure fiscal and administrative oversight by monitoring spending with regard to specific aims and productivity of individual Projects and ensure timely annual reporting to the sponsor. SA3. Organize and implement scientific oversight. via (i) an internal PPG Scientific Steering Committee (PSSC), consisting of Project Leaders; and (ii) an external advisory board (EAB) composed of three scientists with strong expertise in the areas of the Program. SA 4. Provide coordinated data and knowledge sharing and management platforms (DKMP) to enable the distributed team members to securely share and harmonize data; to facilitate documentation of experimental progress and results; and to share laboratory protocols and analytic tools. This SA will oversee coordination of experimental data flowing to Core B that will be optimized via controlled ontologies, standardized meta-data collection, and common ID conventions to facilitate data mining, and cross-discovery between P1-P3. A Project Management Platform (PMP) utilizing GoogleDocs and Wiki technologies will facilitate inter-Project and Core interactions and delivery of Program goals under the guidance of the PSSC (see SA3). Of particular importance are the integration of single cell RNA-Seq data across projects, that will be integral for answering Program-level hypotheses. This Core will therefore foster scientific integration at the highest level, while providing administrative cohesion.