The major goal of Resource Core C, the Study Design and Data Analysis Core, is to facilitate basic and translational research in cutaneous biology and disease by providing assistance to investigators on the planning, design, and analysis (both statistical and informatics) of studies of the skin. Core C directors will apply classical and innovative approaches from clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, and bioinformatics to enhance the efficiency, reproducibility, and validity of cutaneous research. A proper study design and statistical analysis plan is fundamental to providing a solid foundation for statistical inferences in both basic and clinical investigations. By the very nature of the services provided by Core C, the Core will be highly collaborative and will add value to the other cores of the SBDRC. Core C directors will encourage investigators interested in cutaneous research to work with Core faculty and staff at every stage of design and analysis, thus promoting a team science approach from hypothesis inception, to study execution, analysis, and interpretation. This level of collaboration will help ensure that study designs are efficient and that analyses are accurate and correct. Core C faculty and staff have extensive experience with the design and analysis of basic and clinical investigations of cutaneous biology and skin disease. Core C will provide SBDRC investigators with the following services: (1) Advise on appropriate study design methodologies necessary to design and implement rigorous experimental and clinical investigations; (2) Provide statistical analyses of investigators' experimental data to determine whether study results are significant; (3) Interpret research data to make scientifically and statistically appropriate statements; (4) Advise on appropriate translational and Phase 1 clinical trial study designs for translation of bench findings to human research; (5) Bioinformatics analyses of large datasets from Next Generation sequencing studies, including from ChIP-Seq, exome-seq, 16S RNA-seq, and phage display experiments. Core C will significantly add to the overall success of the SBDRC because a critical barrier to progress in cutaneous biology and skin disease research is the lack of integration of biostatistical, epidemiological, and bioinformatics approaches in basic and clinical investigations. Implementing such approaches from inception through project completion will improve the reproducibility and validity of research findings. Cores A and B will be able to leverage the expertise of Core C faculty and staff to enhance the efficiency, reproducibility, and validity of research promoted by the SBDRC. Core C will also develop innovative approaches to analyze population stratification in genetic and genomic studies and for the analysis of cutaneous microbiome data when existing methodologies are insufficient.
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