The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) proposes to offer a new resource core entitled Clinical Translational and Recruitment Core, or Resource Core 3 (RC-3). This core has been developed in part because of the need to accelerate the translation of important biological findings related to frailty into clinical studies, and because of the need to train and support junior investigators proposing clinical investigations in frail, older adults. This initiative is closely aligned with the JHU Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology's goals of integrating clinical practice with research, will be in large part funded by divisional philanthropic resources.
The specific aims of RC-3 are 1) to provide supported OAIC investigators with comprehensive training and mentorship in clinical research, 2) to provide the oversight necessary to ensure optimal and safe performance of clinical studies, 3) to provide clinical research space and assistance with all aspects as needed of protocol development, data collection, and recruitment of human subjects, 4) to maintain and grow an active frailty registry of older adults characterized for frailty and consented to be contacted for additional aging and frailty related studies. The recruitment of a core leader who has considerable expertise in the development, implementation, and in the conduct of both .clinical physiological studies and clinical trials and the addition of a highly skilled and experienced research program manager with expertise in minority recruitment and in the measurement of frailty and mobility will facilitate the completion of these aims.
These aims will be carded out in close collaboration with the leaders of all other resource cores, which will help to ensure optimal study design, implementation, and interpretation of results: In addition, this core will play a crucial role in the training of junior investigators engaged in RCDC activities and in pilot/exploratory studies. In first year of this proposal, that includes clinical studies involving human subjects that target questions related to inflammation, mitochondrial function, and the angiotensin system. RC3 will accelerate the pace of translation ofthe important biological findings being generated in this OAIC into clinical studies that will focus on the maintenance of independence in older adults.
Clinical translational research is often difficult for junior investigators because of lack of training and research support. This core will offer the rigorous clinical research training and oversight for these investigators, and provide direct assistance in developing and implementing clinical research studies including the recruitment of subjects into these studies. This will help to ensure more rapid movement of important biological discoveries into studies that may decrease frailty and improve independence in older adults.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 251 publications
