Epidemiology, Bioinformatics, and Study Design (EBSD) Core

SUMMARY As musculoskeletal research advances and state-of-the-art tools evolve, investigators face new demands for data management and analysis, and they seek resources for translating preclinical discovery to humans. The Epidemiology, Bioinformatics, and Study Design (EBSD) Core will address those demands, thereby enhancing research productivity. It will do this by providing unique epidemiologic resources that encourage collaborations between basic, translational, and clinical researchers. The Core will guide researchers, make critical connections, and support use of analytic and other consultative resources, in part through the creation of crucial educational tools. The Core will thus ensure the rigor and reproducibility of the research conducted. The EBSD Core will build on its achievements to date, maintaining successful programs while adding new, innovative initiatives such as stimulating cross-cutting research on the genetics and genomics of musculoskeletal traits. First, the core will facilitate access to and use of large osteoporosis and osteoarthritis longitudinal databases from multicenter observational studies and randomized trials coordinated by UCSF, including rich associated biological and imaging resources (Aim 1). With these resources, the EBSD Core will enable researchers to test hypotheses about pathogenesis, risk factors, and the course of bone and joint disease. Proposed expanded offerings will particularly encourage translational discovery, with data and tools for genetic and genomic analyses of musculoskeletal traits, research on aging and muscle, and cutting-edge research using artificial intelligence or new technologies. Second, the EBSD Core will provide individualized consultative services to musculoskeletal researchers, as it has done for over 120 projects and proposals in the current P30 award period (Aim 2). Core directors and faculty will advise researchers through one-on-one consultations (directly or leveraging other existing UCSF resources), through EBSD-run work-in-progress groups, and through the embedding of an EBSD Core faculty member within a clinical department. A novel pathway for consultative guidance will help investigators navigate resources—particularly existing UCSF bioinformatics resources, for which demand is increasing precipitously. Third, the EBSD Core aims to educate the musculoskeletal research community (Aim 3). The core will create an online musculoskeletal-focused wayfinding and educational tool to equip researchers, across all research methodologies, who have diverse analytical needs ranging from spatial proteomics to image segmentation algorithms. The core will also leverage existing UCSF educational resources, providing guidance about formal course offerings and continuing medical education. In accomplishing these aims, the EBSD Core will serve musculoskeletal researchers across the bench-to-bedside continuum, enhancing productivity and stimulating collaborations to facilitate translational discovery.