The impact of basic science is increasingly influencing medical practice. This trend will likely only accelerate in the near future, as techniques including gene therapy and CRISPR-based gene editing begin to impact clinical care. The continued progress of this approach, and its application to geriatrics, requires a seamless integration of basic, translational and clinical researchers. In order to facilitate this integration, we are proposing creation of a new Core for this application. Entitled, the Biology of Mobility and Aging Core (BMAC), this Core will foster the work of clinicians and basic scientists by linking the tenets of `geroscience' to advance new treatments to improve balance and mobility. These include the identification of new biomarkers, elucidating new molecular targets for drug therapy, using in-depth animal phenotyping to assess new biologic agents, and generally promoting back and forth translation between human and basic studies. This work will ultimately help catalyze the ability of our Pepper Center to conduct first-in-human clinical trials of novel agents to preserve mobility and balance in late life. Excitingly, some of these efforts have already been initiated. By supporting pilot, developmental, and external projects, the BMAC also enhances the rigor, strength and quality of our OAIC. Moreover, BMAC resources that include state-of-the-art instrumentation and methodologies, a range of seminars and didactics, as well as laboratory visits, unique genetic reagents and in-depth consultations, will become widely and easily accessible to Pepper investigators. The BMAC includes internationally renowned faculty members who constitute a group of senior investigators with knowledge spanning neuroscience, muscle physiology, pre-clinical animal phenotyping, metabolomics, translational pharmacology, the microbiome and high throughput genetic and chemical screening platforms. All BMAC faculty operate state-of-the-art and well- funded laboratories in areas relevant to the biology of mobility and aging.
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