NCMRR-DC Core Molecular & Functional Outcome Measures in Rehabilitation Medicine

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Medical rehabilitation is a research and clinical concern across the age span. Premature infants require rehabilitation of multiple types (physical, respiratory, occupational), children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida have extensive rehabilitation needs. Adults with spinal cord, brain, and limb trauma all require extensive rehabilitation support. Research to improve functional outcomes, and understand the pathophysiology of specific disabilities is important, both for patient quality of life, as well as burden on the health care system. The goal of our NCMRR-DC Core is to provide technical services and training across both molecular and functional outcome measures in rehabilitation research. During the previous award period, our NCMRR Core provided services and training to 108 principal investigators in 32 institutions, with processing and analysis of >4,500 samples. Didactic and outreach efforts included >3,500 hrs of on-site training of external investigators, 95 invited lectures, 29 presentations at national and international conferences, and organization of workshops to write and disseminate standard operating procedures for functional outcome measures. In this competitive renewal application, the PIs have extended their molecular outcomes services and training to include murine and human functional outcomes. These include clinical evaluator services and training, a murine functional testing facility, and facilitation of ancillary studies in pre-existing human cohorts emphasizing functional outcomes. These new resources have been established over the last 4 years, have been heavily utilized by the international rehabilitation research community, and are now proposed as a part of the NCMRR-DC Core. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Research to improve functional outcomes, and understand the pathophysiology of specific disabilities is important, both for patient quality of life, as well as burden on the health care system. The goal of the NCMRR-DC Core is to provide technical services and training across both molecular and functional outcome measures in rehabilitation research.