University of Florida Chemosensory Clinical Research Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Support is requested to establish the feasibility of and then implement four infrastructural components for the expanding Chemosensory Clinical Research Program of the University of Florida's Center for Smell and Taste. The Program focuses on the clinically important, emerging relationship between chemosensory dysfunction (taste, retronasal olfaction) and health. Variation in chemosensation (genetic or pathological) affects the sensory properties of foods as well as the sensations associated with smoking and alcohol intake. Diet, smoking, and alcohol intake are risk factors for a variety of disorders including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Key to understanding chemosensory variation and health is the ability to rigorously correlate the chemosensory phenotype and genotype of patient populations who suffer from these disorders. Support for the actual research to be addressed once the requested infrastructure is in place will be sought through the Institute's P50 and R01 mechanisms. We have already made significant progress in laying the foundation for the Center's Clinical Research Program. Dr. Linda Bartoshuk has joined the faculty at UF to help plan and implement clinical research projects using newly developed and appropriate psychophysical scaling methodologies. We have established the UF Taste and Smell Clinic, where a team of clinicians see patients with chemosensory complaints. We have established collaborations with the appropriate genetics, biostatistical, and marketing personnel at UF. We have had preliminary conversations with potential collaborators outside of UF to share the technologies and capabilities we develop at UF. While the University has provided modest start up funds to conduct clinical pilot projects, several of which are now underway, we lack adequate intramural funding to implement the key infrastructure required to make the Chemosensory Clinical Research Program a success. Specifically, we propose to: (1) establish a novel core dedicated to chemosensory genetics with strengths in genotyping and statistical genetics, (2) design a novel protocol using new psychophysical tools for the clinical assessment of chemosensory function (phenotype), (3) establish a novel HIPAA compliant biostatistics and data management core, and (4) establish a novel HIPAA compliant patient and subject recruitment and management core. While the Program is resident at UF, our intent is for it to function as a 'virtual center' whereby we can easily and securely share the infrastructure we generate and the research it produces with our national and international chemosensory colleagues.