This is a renewal application for the Johns Hopkins University Older Americans Independence Center (JHU OAIC). In the current cycle that started in 2013, this OAIC has nurtured extensive accomplishment, contributing to 121 publications and findings that facilitated the funding of 48 additional grants focused on frailty and aging. Investigators in this OAIC seek to promote independence in older adults through the study of the etiologies and clinical ramifications of frailty and through the translation of this knowledge into the development of novel, frailty-focused diagnostic, treatment, and prevention strategies. This proposal seeks to achieve these goals through the following specific aims: 1) Stimulate and develop effective frailty-focused interdisciplinary research programs; 2) Translate the frailty-focused knowledge generated into targeted prevention and treatment strategies that help older adults maintain independence; 3) Provide focused and accessible frailty-related training and mentorship to junior investigators interested in developing careers focused on maintaining independence in older adults; 4) Provide to OAIC-supported investigators the highest quality interdisciplinary expertise and infrastructure in biostatistical, biological, and clinical science as relevant to frailty research; 5) Support the development of innovative methodologies, research strategies and technologies essential to the study of frailty; and 6) Attract outstanding investigators and trainees to frailty research from across the Johns Hopkins University and promote visibility of their science locally and nationally. A Research Education Component (REC) and Pilot Study Core will provide training, mentorship, and both advisory and material support for research projects for supported investigators. Highly integrated resource cores focused on biostatistics, biological mechanisms, and clinical translation and recruitment will provide supported investigators with the interdisciplinary expertise, training, mentorship, assistance, and services necessary to perform outstanding frailty-focused basic, clinical and translational research. A new Information Dissemination Core will extend the reach of findings on frailty developed by the researchers of this OAIC and beyond, through a new website providing navigation and easy access to findings on frailty, innovative educational initiatives, new partnerships with scientific and professional organizations, formation of communities of practice, and outreach efforts. This OAIC will continue to be directed by a long-standing, interdisciplinary, accomplished, and highly visible leadership team who continue to develop an ongoing vision for the next generation of frailty science and have worked to build a scientifically and culturally diverse community of scholars and trainees around frailty. This team is dedicated to developing the next generation of needed scientific advances and disseminating resulting strategies into practice and policy that will extend independence for older adults.
Frailty is an age-related syndrome of multisystemic decline which confers vulnerability to many other adverse outcomes including loss of independence. This OAIC is designed to foster high quality research which will identify etiologies of frailty and translate these findings into clinical studies that will improve function and health for millions of older adults.
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