? Molecular Measures Core (MMC) The Molecular Measures Core (MMC) provides a centralized resource, analytical tools and expertise to measure a broad array of molecular analytes in support of Duke OAIC projects in their work to understand and optimize reserve and resilience. The MMC has served as an integral Resource Core in support of the Duke OAIC since 2006. For this funding cycle, the MMC will focus on molecular analyses that provide mechanistic insights into resiliencies at the cellular, tissue or organ levels that are expected to increase our understanding of the means to optimize reserve and resilience at the whole person level. The MMC will provide molecular analytic, mentoring and consultative support for a host of Research Education Core (REC) Scholar Projects, Pilot/Exploratory Studies (PESs) and External Projects (EPs). These projects test hypotheses related to aging across the lifespan, caloric restriction and enhanced protein weight loss interventions and involve a range of patient and sample types, including older dialysis patients, patients undergoing chemotherapy for multiple myeloma, patients undergoing pre-operative exercise therapy, young and old muscle satellite cells from sedentary or exercised mice with and without pharmacological autophagy induction, and young and old chondrocyte response to stressors. The MMC is capable of providing services to measure a broad array of cellular, molecular, biochemical and metabolic factors. The most pertinent Core services in the next funding cycle will include molecular measures of inflammation, targeted and non-targeted metabolomics, molecular measures of biological age, and measures related to wound healing and stress responses. In addition, the MMC will conduct a Developmental Project (DP-1) to develop and validate a panel of molecular markers indicative of senescent cell burden based on the recent knowledge that cellular senescence plays a key role in physiological tissue repair and remodeling responses. The DP2 validated panel will be made available to the Duke OAIC researchers in the latter years of funding. In addition, the MMC will provide Pathways Analysis (using Ingenuity Systems) of molecular data to identify potential biological networks involved in reserve and resilience. The exciting focus on resilience in this cycle provides an opportunity to explore the latest theories on aging that are particularly amenable and suited to evaluation by molecular approaches. The application of molecular and pathways analyses to these projects are expected to provide objective insights into the mechanisms underlying reserve and resilience in support of the mission of the Duke OAIC.
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