The Biolmaging Resource Core (BIRC) provides leadership, scientific expertise and instrumental support in quantitative imaging techniques, including MRI, CT, DXA and PET, critical to the WFU OAlC's research theme: Integrating pathways affecting physical function for new approaches to disability prevention. The BIRC is well integrated with all WFU OAIC cores and leads the development and implementation of imaging techniques and protocols to quantify and characterize body composition, particularly skeletal muscle and total, regional and organ-specific adipose tissue and to obtain non-invasive measures of vascular and neuromuscular function. The Core also supports a large image repository that it developed during the present cycle in order to facilitate cross-study comparisons and exploratory analyses of established imaging outcomes as well as rapid development and validation of new imaging phenotypes. Methods developed during the current cycle have been demonstrated to be robust and of high precision in both human research and in translational models using rodents and nonhuman primates. During the present cycle, the BIRC has strongly contributed to the strong success of the OAIC by supporting 3,431 image acquisitions (DXA, CT, MRI and PET) in 10 externally-supported studies, 8 pilot studies and 3 research development projects.
The specific aims of the Biolmaging Resource Core are to: 1) determine the associations of age and disease-related changes in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue depots with biological, genetic, co-morbid, psychosocial and behavioral factors, and other outcomes relevant to physical function;2) measure the effects of interventions (dietary/nutritional, exercise, pharmacologic, and combinations) on adipose and skeletal muscle tissue depots;3) use in vivo bio-imaging to enable bi-directional translation of key findings between humans and animal models (including nonhuman primates) in support of mechanistic research;4) develop and validate novel non-invasive imaging metrics which allow improved characterization of skeletal muscle, adipose tissue and vascular function in older adults to be integrated with a standardized battery of physical function and laboratory/molecular assessments. The BIRC leadership team are highly experienced and successful investigators who have strategically complementary skill sets and strong records of collaborative scientific and administrative achievements. In the initial year, the BIRC will support 7 externally-funded projects, 2 pilot projects and 1 developmental project. The BIRC will also provide training and mentoring to RCDC-supported faculty to develop expertise in imaging techniques and to advance their development as independent translational research scientists.
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