Administrative Core

SUMMARY, ADMINISTRATION CORE CORE A, CORE LEAD: ALAN TALL Cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and around the world. The overall application, “Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Atherosclerosis,” seeks to investigate mechanisms of plaque stabilization and destabilization focused on novel functions of vascular macrophages and stromal cells, and their crosstalk, in mouse models and human cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The overarching theme is that inflammation and the efferocytosis-resolution cycle in macrophages regulates plaque stability through crosstalk with other macrophages and stromal cells and that detailed examination of the cell and molecular mechanisms may provide opportunities for novel CVD treatments, including in patients with clonal hematopoiesis, an emerging CVD risk factor. The overall program contains three highly integrated Projects, two Scientific Cores, one Administrative Core (Core A), and two subcontracts to Dr. Jinjun Shi at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Projects 2 and 3). Core A administers the overall PPG, and is responsible for the following services: A) centralized administrative actions such as organizing productive scientific meetings; B) centralized financial record-keeping, including a monthly report of expenditures for all program projects and cores, and all interactions with University Accounting and Grants offices concerning grant budgets; C) preparing scientific and financial reports as required by the NHLBI and Columbia; D) ensuring the highest level of PPG research through periodic internal and external advisory committee review (twice and once per year, respectively); E) facilitating integration and harmonization among program projects, including the use of shared resources, protocols, and joint experiments; and F) compliance with all regulatory requirements, including for vertebrate animal research and human subjects research. Taken together, the administrative services provided by Core A will yield efficient and optimal use of budget resources; ensure regulatory compliance and the highest standards of ethical research, particularly research involving vertebrate animals or human subjects; and enable productive, responsive, regularly-scheduled communication and discussion among the PPG researchers, Project Leads, and Core Leads to help assess research progress and carry out the overall Program.