Indiana Core Center for Clinical Research in Musculoskeletal Health

RESOURCE CORE: Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are the leading contributor to disability worldwide. There is a reciprocal and perpetuating relationship between the MSK system and chronic disease. Chronic health conditions contribute to abnormal muscle and bone leading to fractures and impairments in physical function and mobility. In turn, these MSK and mobility issues increase morbidity and mortality in chronic disease contributing to a cycle of adverse outcomes. The overarching goal of the Indiana Core Center for Clinical Research (ICCCR) – the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health Clinical Research Center (ICMH-CRC) is to provide resources and training to enhance clinical research to improve MSK health across a broad range of diseases across the lifespan. In our initial P30 funding period, the Function, Imaging, and Testing Resource Core (FIT Core) was developed to provide outcomes to generate MSK phenotypes at the functional (i.e., physical function) & morphological (i.e., organ- & tissue-level properties) levels. The core offered a battery of standardized physical function tests in research and community participants via a centralized Institutional Review Board protocol, operationalized MSK imaging resources developing a centralized resource for investigators to navigate, access, and obtain MSK outcomes, and partnered with the CTSI-supported Indiana Biobank to create a unique biospecimen and tissue resource. In collaboration with the MSK Informatics Methodology (MIM) Core, the FIT Core linked physical function and imaging outcomes with biospecimens and an individual’s electronic health record to enable investigators to formulate and address novel questions related to MSK health. In addition, the FIT Core used the data it collected to develop and disseminate novel normative data calculators and scorecards for physical function and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography outcomes. In the proposed funding period, growth of the FIT Core will be fostered by taking the Core “on the road” to community health centers and organizations to expand the tested population to individuals outside of the healthcare setting to expand normative data. We will continue to innovate imaging outcomes to meet investigator needs and expand the number and access to specimens related to MSK health in the Indiana Biobank. We will also perform whole exome sequencing on DNA collected from participants to expand the utility of the functional (physical function), morphologic (imaging), and computable (electronic health record) phenotypes by linking with genomic data. These goals will serve to overcome challenges of incorporating MSK outcomes across fields of study and generate unique resources to promote and advance clinical research in MSK disorders.