Pilot Feasability

PROJECT SUMMARY (PILOT/FEASIBILITY CORE) The BBDC Pilot/Feasibility Core (PFC) has been successful over the past two cycles of the Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium (BBDC) in soliciting, reviewing, funding, and reporting on the impact of the pilot studies. We have engaged both investigators both inside and external to the BBDC. As expected, the results of these studies have both supported or disproven the underlying hypotheses. Importantly, these pilot studies have been published and/or contributed to future pilot and/or full projects in subsequent cycles. In addition, the have been vehicles for early stage investigators and trainees (ESI) to advance their careers in the rare bone disease (RBD) fields, with some no serving as co-PI of current and proposed projects. We will build on our successful experience in years 1-10 to continue solicitation, review, funding, and reporting of pilot studies from both inside and outside the BBDC investigator community for research projects that leverage the BBDC infrastructure and data. The Specific Aims are to: 1) Cooperate with the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (OIF), and the BBDC Career Enhancement Core (CEC), and Administrative Core (AC) to perform outreach to investigators and trainees both inside and outside of the BBDC; 2) Review, fund, and implement pilot studies solicited from the scientific community; 3) Report, audit, and evaluate the ongoing and completed pilot studies. The PFC will report to the BBDC Executive and Steering Committees on the progress and impact of these studies.