Core A - Administration

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CORE A SUMMARY Administrative Core. The overall goal of this Program Project is to elucidate the biological mechanisms of ectopic calcification and its roles in the onset and etiology of diseases of aging, with particular focus on age- related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The major components of ectopic calcifications are proteins, lipids and mineralized calcium phosphate, especially hydroxyapatite (HAP) and whitlockite (WHT), but the roles of these components in the calcification process and disease progression are not known. Four Projects and one technical Core will collaborate to gain a comprehensive mechanistic view of ectopic calcification in age-related pathologies. Achieving this goal requires an integrated multidisciplinary approach that combines multi-scale structural biology, biochemistry, cell biology and animal physiology, guided by experts in these specific areas. The principal role of the Administrative Core is to ensure the success of the Program as an integrated multidisciplinary and multi-scale investigative effort, and generate a comprehensive view of calcification in diseases of aging that could not achieved by individual laboratories working alone. This is essential for gaining comprehensive biomedical insights. To support this goal, the Core will facilitate interactions among the investigators and provide a strong administrative structure.