Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core

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Abstract The goal of the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core (PESC) is to provide support for studies that will develop and test new research ideas of high relevance to the Center’s overall theme: improve understanding of how metabolic factors and inflammation interact with age-related diseases and comorbidities to determine key health outcomes related to mobility and functional status. The PESC will thus fund pilot research studies over a wide range of disciplines, from basic, pre-clinical, clinical patient-oriented research through behavioral and health services research. Each submitted proposal will first receive an evaluation for scientific merit by at least three external reviewers and then be further evaluated by OAIC leaders for relevance to the Center objectives. The PESC has made 155 pilot grants since its inception in 1989, mostly to junior faculty, many of whom have now established themselves as productive independent researchers in geriatric medicine and cognate disciplines. Five projects have been selected for 2020-2021 (Year 1 of the competing renewal), including: 1) Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management in Older African American Men: A Peer Leader Pilot Intervention; 2) Evaluate de- escalation of biologic bDMARDs (biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs) among older adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis; 3) Home-delivered meals to prevent recurrent hepatic encephalopathy: The BRAINFOOD randomized controlled trial; 4) Pathway to De-escalation: Characterizing antibiotic prescribing cascade for older adults. 5) Age-associated alterations in protein translation dynamics. The PESC will be directed by Drs. Lona Mody and Daniel Goldstein. They will work closely with the Research Education Core (REC) and all the Resource Cores (RCs) to support implementation of innovative and promising projects proposed by junior scientists, or more senior investigators new to aging research, increasing the likelihood that projects will lead to externally supported research in aging.