One of the abiding philosophies of the Johns Hopkins Division of Rheumatology is that the critical pathway to understanding human autoimmune rheumatic diseases is through the study of large numbers of well-defined patients, followed over time, with the collection of rich phenotypic data, mapping disease trajectory, and where possible, acquiring and storing relevant biological materials from blood and target tissue. This repository of data and samples can then be used to separate heterogeneous diagnostic groups into more homogeneous subgroups, using tools that span the entire spectrum of investigation. This P30 will focus on providing the framework for organizational (oversight, management), operational (recruitment, sampling, processing), measurement and analytical (statistical, computational, and integrative) expertise to enable effective clinical and translational research. The Hopkins RDRCC competitive renewal comprises an Administrative Core (Core A) led by Drs. Rosen and Bingham, and includes 3 scientific Cores: (i) Core B is the Research Management and Patient Integrated Data (RAPID) Core, led by Dr. Bingham; (ii) Core C is the Sample Processing and Immunoassay Research (SPIRE) Core, led by Drs. Casciola-Rosen and Soloski; and Core D is the Data Science Core, led by Dr. Scott Zeger. The Center is structured as a matrix, designed to foster collaborative and synergistic discovery by maximizing access of the diverse research community to data and samples from humans with rheumatic diseases. Core A will promote efficient, interdisciplinary research throughout the research community and Cores, and manage the enrichment program. Core B will facilitate studies on humans with rheumatic diseases, by providing research management and oversight functions, enhancing research integration with the Epic EHR, and enable patient-centered outcome research. Core C will provide assistance with patient sample acquisition, processing, storage and distribution, as well as provision of multiple immunological assays for discovery and validation of biomarkers and disease pathways. Core D will provide highly innovative tools to enable analysis of complex longitudinal data in rheumatic disease patients, particularly with the design and application of Bayesian hierarchical models to identify disease subsets.
This Rheumatic Diseases Resource-based Core Center provides systems and infrastructure to facilitate efficient and significant research on humans with autoimmune rheumatic diseases. The synergies that arise from coupling the diverse and well- resourced research community to the unusually rich collection of prospectively collected data and samples from patients with rheumatic diseases through provision of Core service and expertise provides unprecedented opportunities to enhance and accelerate discovery into the causes, mechanisms, diagnosis, therapy and prevention in these diseases.
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