The OAIC Inflammatory Biology Core (IBC) plays an integral role in the UCLA OAIC's renewal theme Inflammation, Aging, and Independence. The IBC supports the mission of the OAIC in understanding the interactions of non-modifiable and modifiable predisposing factors on inflammation and processes of biological aging, which impact incident diseases of aging and progression of age-associated morbidity. The IBC aims to: (1) provide intellectual support for the analysis of inflammatory biology in OAIC research domains (including basic, clinical, interventional, and/or biobehavioral studies); (2) provide laboratory infrastructure for comprehensive and vertically integrated assessment of inflammatory biology dynamics at the genomic, inflammatory signaling, cellular, and systemic levels; and (3) develop and utilize cross-cutting approaches to analyses of inflammatory biology and the effect of inflammation on cellular processes in aging and age-related disease. The IBC leadership merges expertise in proteomic markers of inflammation, cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammation, and genomic analyses of inflammatory profiles to provide an interdisciplinary breadth within a single laboratory ?home?, which provides a comprehensive assessment of inflammation from genes to cells to proteins. Moreover, by including different assay methods within a single laboratory and its infrastructure, sophisticated scientific, conceptual, and technical expertise can be delivered efficiently to assure implementation of quality monitored, standard operating procedures that are maintained across studies and over time. The IBC is also positioned to synergize with the laboratory resources available across the UCLA campus. In collaboration with the UCLA OAIC Research Education Component (REC), the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core (PESC), and the Data Acquisition and Analysis Core (DAAC), the IBC will continue to integrate assessments of inflammatory biology mechanisms into Research Project Support and Pilot Projects, foster career development in aging-related research for early career investigators, and facilitate training of investigators new to aging and inflammatory biology research. The IBC will also continue to collaborate with externally-funded projects (EPs), which include 3 NIH Career Development (K) awards to junior investigators in aging research. The EPs are relevant to the overall goals of the UCLA OAIC, addressing changes in inflammatory biomarkers with aging, and developing/testing interventions to reduce inflammatory burden and determine the effects on health and functional outcomes. These EPs have the potential to alter clinical practice guidelines within primary care and/or collaborative care models, and enhance the maintenance of independence in older adults by targeting modifiable risk factors and inflammation.
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