Research Project
10271795
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Data Management and Statistics Core (DMSC) The Data Management and Statistics Core (DMSC) is an integral component of the Center for Neurodegeneration and Translational Neuroscience (CNTN), providing each project and core with the digital infrastructure for accurate data capture, secure storage, access to high-quality integrated datasets, and expert statistical consultation. Through these resources, the DMSC directly facilitates the CNTN goals of advancing the careers of junior investigators, expanding the neuroscience and research infrastructure in Nevada, and enhancing the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases (NDD). In Phase 1 of the COBRE award, the DMSC adopted OpenClinica, an open-sourced electronic data capture platform, to construct a distributed cloud- based data entry system that is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant. Throughout Phase 1, the Clinical and Translational Research Core (CTRC) of the CNTN established a cohort of individuals with AD or PD, and a group of demographically comparable cognitively normal (CN) older adults. A comprehensive data set generated by the CTRC, captured using OpenClinica, and maintained by the DMSC serves as a gateway for NDD researchers and collaborators who are not project leaders. Given the growth of the DMSC under the leadership of Joseph Lombardo in Phase 1, we intend to expand this Core during Phase 2. Director Lombardo will continue to lead the Core. Guogen Shan, PhD will serve as Associate Director for Biostatistics and will continue to work with COBRE and non-COBRE researchers to develop novel statistical tools to analyze neuroscience data. Justin B. Miller, PhD, a neuropsychologist with a deep interest in biomedical informatics, will be the Associate Director for Biomedical Informatics for Phase 2. During Phase 1 of the award, Dr. Miller worked under the mentorship of Gustavo Jiminez-Maggoria, Director of Informatics at the University of Southern California?s Alzheimer?s Therapeutic Research Institute, and has functioned as a liaison between DMSC faculty, the CTRC, and project leaders to ensure that the database functions smoothly for comprehensive data capture, organization, archiving, analysis, and export to non-COBRE research communities. In Phase 2 of the award, Dr. Miller will continue to work with project leaders and core directors to ensure that study data are of good quality, readily available, and accessible to project leaders. Additionally, in Phase 2, members of the DMSC will work extensively with the newly formed and recently integrated Brain Imaging Core (BIC). Phase 2 will require expansion and refinement of the DMSC?s digital infrastructure to facilitate integration of both raw image data and structured quantitative imaging data.
