Core B: Thymic and peripheral Aspects of T cell Aging and Rejuvenation

Billheimer, Dean

Abstract

The Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core (Core B) will provide professional expertise in statistics, bioinformatics, and computing to all projects, cores, and investigators in this Program Project Grant (PPG). Core B will provide biostatistics design and analysis for all mouse and in vitro studies across the PPG, including formulation of testable hypotheses, estimation of sample size and power, performance and interpretation of data analyses, and graphical display and interpretation of results. In addition, the core will provide bioinformatics expertise and analysis for the real-time qRT-PCR gene expression mini-array studies in all projects, the RNASeq profiling experiments in Projects (P) 2 and 3, and for the contingent LC-MS/MS proteome analysis in P4. This support will include data quality checks, read mapping and normalization, differential expression analysis, and pathway analysis to identify subsets of genes and proteins impacting specific functions or cellular mechanisms. Core B statistical scientists make extensive use of modern methods of statistical computing and reproducible research tools. This capability fosters the sharing of analysis code and results, the rapid deployment of novel analysis tools, and effective investigator access to program-wide data and knowledge management platforms for cross-project research discovery. Core B is a vital component of each Project in this PPG and will facilitate the discovery of novel scientific results in immune aging.