Neuroimaging and Risk Factor Correlates in Aging and MCI

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案要求继续为面向患者研究的职业中期研究者奖（K24）向Mark W. Bondi博士申请NIA资助。在K24奖提供的前5年的支持下，Bondi博士通过完成动脉自旋标记（ASL）和弥散张量成像（DTI） MRI技术的重点培训，并在他的研究实验室与他的学员一起实施，提升了自己作为研究导师的技能。在此期间，他获得了四项面向患者的研究资助（NIA的R01， R43和R44资助以及阿尔茨海默氏症协会的研究者发起的研究资助）。他还担任过12位临床科学家培训的主要导师或共同导师。这些受训者中有8人已经接受了来自NIH(4名NRSA； 1名SC3)，退伍军人事务部（4名VA职业发展奖），国防部（2名调查员发起的补助金）和私人基金会（3名来自阿尔茨海默氏症协会的新调查员研究补助金；1名来自AFAR的新调查员补助金）的指导或独立研究支持，或两者兼而有之。此外，所有学员都发表了一篇或多篇同行评议的第一作者研究论文（自2007年以来40篇独特的学员出版物），他实验室的8名学员现在全职从事以患者为导向的学术教职或研究职位。对新生的以患者为导向的研究人员的培训和支持的需求既迫切又深刻。加州大学圣地亚哥分校和VASDHS有幸有几个正式的培训项目（包括部门T32培训资助和VA博士后奖学金项目）来支持临床医生-科学家的结构化教学培训。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests continued NIA funding for the Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24) to Mark W. Bondi, PhD. During the first 5 years of support provided by the K24 award, Dr. Bondi has upgraded his own skill set as a research mentor by completing focused training with arterial spin labeling (ASL) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) MRI techniques and implementing them in his research lab with his trainees. During this period, he has obtained four patient-oriented research grants (R01, R43, and R44 grants from the NIA and an Investigator-Initiated Research Grant from the Alzheimer's Association). He has also served as primary mentor or co-mentor to 12 clinician-scientists in training. Eight of these trainees have gone on to receive either mentored or independent research support, or both, from NIH (4 NRSA; 1 SC3), the Dept of Veterans Affairs (4 VA Career Development Awards), the Dept of Defense (2 Investigator-Initiated Grants), and private foundations (3 New Investigator Research Grants from the Alzheimer's Association; 1 New Investigator Grant from AFAR). Furthermore, all of the mentees have published one or more first- authored peer-reviewed research papers reporting their work (40 unique mentee publications since 2007), and eight trainees from his lab now work in full-time academic patient-oriented faculty or research positions. The need for training and support of nascent patient-oriented researchers is both acute and profound. UCSD and the VASDHS are fortunate to have several formal training programs (including departmental T32 training grants and VA post-doctoral fellowship programs) to support the structured didactic training of clinician- scientists. Each of these programs requires the availability of skilled mentors. The K24 award permits Dr. Bondi, an established and productive clinician scientist whose integrative work in neuropsychology and neuroimaging has helped to shape our understanding of the prodromal period of Alzheimer's disease (AD), to devote substantial time to mentoring new patient-oriented researchers. It also provides him with time to enhance his own research skills in order to mentor new clinical investigators and to conduct meritorious patient-oriented research. This proposed one-time opportunity for 5 years of continued support will focus on facilitating the convergence of his research group's expertise in neuropsychology and neuroimaging studies with their growing skill and interest in the utilization of biomarkers in support of characterizing the prodromal period of dementia. With the help of several identified 'resource' experts in advanced neuroimaging and CSF biomarker techniques, Dr. Bondi proposes to enrich and deepen his research expertise in these areas with the dual aims of (1) maintaining his group's efforts at the vanguard of early detection research, and (2) simultaneously transmitting these skills to the clinician scientists he mentors in an effort to advance their own careers in patient-oriented research in early detection, diagnosis and clinical outcomes in dementia.