University Of Delaware

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2020-04

Project Summary/Abstract Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality among women in the US (ACS, 2017). High baseline prevalence, increasing screening rates, and better treatments have all contributed to a large population of BC survivors that will increase from an estimated 3.5 million in 2016 to a projected 4.5 million in the next 10 years (ACS, 2017). Multiple studies document fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) as a top long- term concern of both cancer survivors and their significant others that impacts on quality of life. Despite an increasing emphasis on FCR in the literature, a critical gap in knowledge is how FCR can produce health behavior consequences with known implications for long-term health outcomes. The overall objective of this proposal is to examine medication adherence, physical activity/sedentary behavior, and sleep as three proximal health behavior outcomes that are modifiable and have been linked to recurrence (for patients) as well as morbidity and mortality (for both patients and spouses/partners). Moreover, FCR and health behaviors are concordant within-couple reflecting an interdependent and interpersonal context that, if ignored, would limit a complete understanding of important health consequences of FCR. Preliminary data from a recently completed NCI-funded R21 project form the scientific premise and the basis of power analyses for the specific and exploratory aims. Using longitudinal, within-person methods as well as individual and dyadic multilevel structural equation modeling, we will pursue the following hypothesis-driven aims: 1) identify the consequences of FCR for physical activity; 2) identify the consequences of FCR for adherence to adjuvant hormonal treatment; and 3) identify the consequences of FCR for sleep quantity and quality. Finally, using biomarkers of cardio- metabolic health risk (i.e., HbA1c, lipids, insulin resistance, body composition), we will explore the links between the targeted health behaviors and these health outcomes. A long-term objective of the proposed work is to influence the development and refinement of interventions for FCR and health behaviors ultimately increasing optimal mental and physical well-being of cancer survivors and their spouses/partners.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2019-07

: T32GM133395 Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. The research and education of trainees in our Chemical Biology Interface (CBI) Program transcends molecular scales, from the atomistic to the cellular level. We provide training and exposure in techniques to probe, design, manipulate, or build molecules, biopolymers, biochemicals, macromolecules, and cellular systems, while maintaining a solid foundation in a specific area of dissertation research. The mission of the program is to provide mentorship and assistance in the students’ intellectual and career development for their entire training. Our T32 CBI program, spanning 7 departments and 50 faculty trainers, is committed to expanding the landscape of chemical biology research by providing multiple paths for trainee success. A dedicate leadership team, organized by a program coordinator, efficiently oversees all aspects of the funding. This starts with a flexible approach to admissions that permits more than one entry point into the program, offering plasticity to our fellows to find their niche in science. A flexible yet strong curriculum in CORE chemical biology concepts, delivered using a required Chemical Biology Didactic Course, seamlessly blends lecture, seminar, and laboratory experiences into 1 or 2 credit modular building blocks, with embedded required Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and Rigor-Reproducibility training. Elective Boot Camps in Chemical Biology Techniques builds students’ confidence to perform their thesis research. Our curriculum is open to all interested University of Delaware students curious about the chemical biology discipline. Dedicated, selfless faculty who are essential for the success of the program are supported through genuine mentorship training experiences such as “Mentoring Grand Rounds”. This mentoring community provides the foundation for faculty to shepherd students through their tailored individual development plans, assuring they utilize “out of laboratory” experiences such as: 1. Research Sabbaticals that serve to broaden students’ understanding of career options, through dedicated, planned time away from the home research lab and 2. Teaching Sabbaticals that expose students to modern pedagogy, such as Problem Based Learning (PBL). Our alumni help fuel these out of field experiences, assuring consistent mentorship. Our program holistically cares about the entire student as an individual and empowers them by providing individualized career mentoring, to help trainees define their own career goals, and work through any impediments in order to successfully achieve them. Intentional programming has built an environment, where students pioneer new innovation. The CBI Citizen thinks creatively to problem solve. The University firmly believes that the T32 CBI is critical for its training and research missions, and has consistently committed multi-million-dollar matching funds to support our program over its 30-year history, which synergies with IDeA State COBRE funding mechanisms to directly infuse excellence into our chemical biology program, training outcomes, and community.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 2019-06

The discovery of new medicines requires the synthesis and evaluation of new molecules, and the incorporation of saturated atoms and three-dimensional (3D) shape is increasingly important in advancing bioactive leads to medicines. Recognizing this need to incorporate saturated carbons, including stereocenters, this research will focus on the development of new cross-coupling reactions to enable efficient construction of bonds to saturated carbon atoms. These methods will rely on alkyl alcohol and amine derivatives as alkyl electrophiles, because they are widely available (including in enantioenriched form), offer outstanding diversity of alkyl fragments that is complementary to other alkylating agents, are easily prepared, and can be used in both early and late-stage functionalization strategies. All-carbon quaternary stereocenters and other fully substituted stereocenters are prevalent in bioactive natural products, but these motifs remain synthetically challenging to prepare in high enantiomeric purity, especially if they are not near a carbonyl or alkene. On the other hand, tertiary alcohols are readily prepared in exceptional enantiomeric excess (ee), making them ideal substrates for stereospecific cross-coupling reactions. Building on strong preliminary results, this program will develop a suite of methods to deliver highly enantioenriched products from tertiary benzylic alcohol derivatives. These efforts will be bolstered by mechanistic studies to understand and rationally optimize challenging steps in these catalytic processes. Primary alkyl amines comprise an extremely diverse feedstock class, extending from simple building blocks to pharmaceutical intermediates to biomolecules. By activating them as Katritzky pyridinium salts, the PI’s group was the first to show that these ubiquitous starting materials can be used as alkyl electrophiles in nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. This program will now develop new deaminative cross-couplings to provide efficient access to a tremendous diversity of products, meeting needs in medicinal chemistry efforts for pharmaceutical discovery. The successful development of this research will establish novel methods to deliver 3D molecules with potential bioactivity from readily available precursors. It will also change the way that chemists use alcohols and amines in synthesis. The ultimate goal is to develop cross-coupling methods for forging bonds to C(sp3) atoms that are as useful for the preparation of bioactive molecules as those long known for C(sp2) atoms. By enabling new methods for the synthesis of novel, potentially bioactive molecules, this research will advance the discovery of new molecules for the study and treatment of disease.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 2019-04

Project Summary The goal of this proposal will be to develop a diverse set of new chemical tools centered on tetrazine ligation– the fastest known bioorthogonal reaction. This proposal describes a continued effort to develop new bioorthogonal reagents. Methods will be developed for the safe synthesis and direct coupling of ‘minimalist’ tetrazines to any molecule of interest, including chemical probes and fluorescent reporters. We also propose to develop tetrazines that can serve as “affinity bioorthogonal chemistry” tags that can serve a dual role in enabling protein purification followed by subsequent site-selective bioorthogonal chemistry. Applications to on-resin protein-protein and protein-biomolecule assembly are proposed. We propose to develop efficient catalytic methods for ‘turning on’ rapid bioorthogonal chemistry in cellular context, providing tool molecules with high stability in the cellular environment in their ‘off’ state, and the fastest bioorthogonal reactions to date in their ‘on’ state. Efficient photocatalysts have been developed that can target bioorthogonal turn-on in vivo and at the subcellular level. Near-IR photocatalysts as well as thermal catalysts will be developed as will new enabling technologies for studying protein dynamics and for proteomic target identification. Finally, we will also develop bioorthogonal N-acylmuramic acid (NAM) and N- acylglucosamine (NAG) molecules for use in probe applications in microbiology and immunology research.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2016-05

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke remain the number one cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women. CVDs affect Delawareans at a rate significantly above the national average. CVDs are largely preventable, and related to risk factors prevalent in the state and region such as poor diet, obesity, physical inactivity, and other modifiable behaviors. In addition to these risk factors, increasing age and the presence of other chronic conditions significantly raise the risk for cardiovascular events and death. These chronic conditions are common in the State of Delaware and indeed the nation. Ideal cardiovascular health is defined as the absence of clinically manifest CVD, along with optimal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and body weight. In addition, ideal cardiovascular health is associated with healthy behaviors such as regular physical activity, lack of smoking, and healthy eating patterns. It is well established that unhealthy cardiovascular behaviors can result in structural and/or functional vascular changes, causing target organ impairment and damage. More mechanistic information is needed to combat CVDs, and novel interventions need to be tested to improve cardiovascular health and overall wellbeing. The goal of the University of Delaware Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Cardiovascular Health is to continue to support multidisciplinary research aimed toward understanding the mechanisms underlying the causes and consequences of poor cardiovascular health and/or function, and developing effective interventions for these conditions. In Phase I, the center successfully developed the independent research careers of a cohort of investigators. We will foster the research careers of four new cardiovascular-focused investigators during Phase II. These investigators will be supported by a comprehensive mentoring and career development program, as well as infrastructure through the COBRE Research Core. These core resources along with a pilot program and new faculty hires will position the center for longer term sustainability.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2015-12

Project Summary Voice is produced when the vocal folds are driven into a wave-like motion by the airstream from the trachea, converting aerodynamic energy and airflow into acoustic energy in the form of sound. Each vocal fold consists of a pliable vibratory layer of connective tissue, known as the lamina propria (LP), sandwiched between a muscle and a stratified squamous epithelium (EP). Numerous environmental, mechanical and pathological factors can damage this delicate tissue, resulting in vocal fold scarring that affects millions of Americans with limited treatment options. Although there is a general consensus on the pathophysiology of vocal fold scarring, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control unremitting fibrosis remain poorly understood. Studies on other fibrotic diseases suggest that fibroblasts, epithelial cells and the interstitial matrix are active players in fibrogenesis. This project aims to engineer a reliable, physiologically relevant in vitro tissue model that can be used to investigate vocal fold development, health, and disease, and more importantly, to facilitate the development and testing of new treatment options. We propose to develop a microengineered organ chip that integrates the epithelial and mesenchymal cells in a tissue-mimetic configuration with built-in airflow to stimulate phonation. Using the microfluidic model, we will investigate how damage to the epithelium initiates fibrosis, how the fibrotic extracellular matrix (ECM) sustains fibrosis and how myofibroblast proliferation and matrix deposition continue unabated. Finally, we will calibrate our model with an antifibrotic growth factor that has shown efficacy in treating vocal fold scarring, and test a promising pharmacological inhibitor that has not been previously tested in the context of vocal fold scarring. Highly efficient bioorthogonal tetrazine ligation will be used to establish the initial LP matrix surrounding healthy fibroblasts and to introduce compositional and mechanical alterations that promote fibroblast activation. Pluripotent and multipotent stem cells will be guided to differentiate into vocal fold- like epithelial cells and fibroblasts by adopting a development paradigm and through systematic manipulation of the engineered microenvironment. Piezoresistive strain sensors embedded in the sidewalls of the microfluidic channels will be used to monitor tissue stiffness and EP permeability in situ. The microengineered tissue model will be characterized in terms of cell phenotype, microstructure, mechanical properties and physiological function. For comparison purposes, a stand-alone, human-sized vocal fold model will be developed and characterized employing methodologies established in the laryngology field. Data generated from this project should significantly impact fundamental research related to vocal fold scarring and provide critical information on therapeutic decision-making in the near future.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2014-09

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Despite significant time and money spent on post-stroke rehabilitation, stroke survivors are left with reduced walking capacity and significant disability. Rehabilitation following stroke is required to make gains in walking beyond those achieved through spontaneous recovery during the first several months after stroke and this occurs through relearning movements that have been disrupted due to damage to the brain. Enhancing post- stroke motor learning is therefore critical to improving post-stroke rehabilitation. Most research examining the effects of stroke on locomotor learning has focused on a specific form of implicit locomotor learning (sensorimotor adaptation), which is relatively automatic. Post-stroke rehabilitation, however, is dominated by techniques, such as visual feedback and verbal cues, that are meant to encourage patients’ use of explicit learning (requiring attention, awareness). Considering that the effects of stroke on these two categories of learning (explicit and implicit) are likely quite different, since different brain areas are primarily involved in each type of learning, we must understand the effects of stroke on both types of learning. Moreover, factors such as cognitive deficits likely have differing effects, depending on the type of learning. Cognitive function is thought to be critical for more explicit forms of motor learning (specifically strategy-based learning), unlike implicit learning which is thought to place less demand on cognitive resources. Despite the numerous cognitive deficits present after stroke, the influence of cognitive function on motor learning (both implicit and explicit) after stroke has largely been ignored. Finally, differences in explicit and implicit learning may also influence the effects of exercise priming, (the coupling of a short bout of high intensity exercise with a learning task), that has been suggested as a mechanism to enhance motor learning in rehabilitation. In Aims 1 and 2 of this project, using both behavioral and computational data, we will determine the relationship between cognitive deficits (and other factors, such as stroke location) and locomotor learning in both explicit (strategy-based) and implicit (sensorimotor adaptation) locomotor learning tasks in those with chronic (>6 months) stroke. In Aim 3 we examine the effect of a short bout of high intensity exercise immediately following strategy-based locomotor learning on the retention of the newly learned walking pattern, along with its interaction with cognitive deficits, in those with chronic stroke. The results of this proposal have immediate implications for clinical practice because they will inform clinicians when to use certain techniques (e.g.-visual feedback with explicit cues, exercise priming) in patients with stroke with particular cognitive deficits, allowing for the design of personalized rehabilitation interventions.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2024 · 2014-09

ABSTRACT An administrative supplement is requested to purchase an Advion Expression and Plate Express CMS system to support P20 GM104316: Discovery of Chemical Probes and Therapeutic Leads. The goal of this COBRE is to continue our efforts to develop molecular approaches for probing biology, to discover and apply new chemical biology tools for the study of biological pathways associated with disease, and to develop computational approaches for understanding small molecule interactions with complex macromolecular targets. The goal of this administrative supplement is to request funds for the purchase of an Advion Expression and Plate Express CMS system. The proposed instrument will be used by over 60 researchers and will be a critical tool for the COBRE custom synthesis lab which has already served over 20 groups on the UD campus. The Advion is a compact, single quadrupole ESI/APCI mass spectrometer (up to 2000 m/z) that offers unique capability in terms of sample introduction. The instrument will support major new capabilities for the COBRE community: (1) real-time reaction monitoring using the Plate Express enabling users to directly analyze TLC spots on a developed TLC plate. (2) Direct fraction checking of chromatography fractions using the ASAP probe will add MS-capability to the traditional flash, automated flash, and HPLC systems that are routinely used by more than 60 users.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2013-09

This proposal is a competitive renewal of the Institutional Development Award Program Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR)(U54) grant originally awarded in September 2013 to the University of Delaware. The ACCEL CTR Program has completed nine years of funding at the time of this application. During our third funding cycle (ACCEL3), our consortium will consist of four partners: University of Delaware (UD)—the lead institution; Nemours Children’s Health (Nemours); Christiana Care Health System (CCHS), the largest health care system in Delaware; and Delaware State University (DSU). Over the past nine years, ACCEL has established an exceedingly strong network and infrastructure for clinical and translational (C&T) research within the state of Delaware; and we are now poised and ready to continue our growth trajectory. While we will continue with the activities that have made us successful, we will have a sharper focus on building sustainable infrastructure across the state that can continue to thrive and mature for years to come. And, we will create a scientific culture focused on improving the health of all Delawareans. In our mission to establish a cadre of successful C&T scientists in DE, we will use various approaches to promote full consideration of how their work impacts the needs of all members of society, from design to study implementation to dissemination of findings. And, we will have a much greater focus on building a bi-directional relationship between our scientists and the community so that we can have a greater impact on Delawareans. Delaware is an ideal state for a CTR grant as it represents the whole of the USA in a compact form. The population of Delaware (~970,000) mirrors the US population in urban-to-rural citizen ratio and other key demographics as well. Thus, studies involving a cross-section of Delaware can be generalizable to populations nationally. The dominance of adult (CCHS) and pediatric (Nemours) hospital systems, which serve at least 85% of the residents of the state, provides a unique opportunity to treat the state of Delaware as a model for examining how healthcare changes can impact population health. The overarching goal of the ACCEL CTR Program is to create a unified Delaware Clinical and Translational Research Community (inclusive of investigators and community members) that breaks down existing barriers, capitalizes on the unique strengths of its partners to establish infrastructure and accelerates the creation of solutions that improve the health of all Delawareans and all Americans.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2024 · 2008-09

Project Summary Lifelong lens transparency and flexible shape, required for focusing light onto the retina, relies upon epithelial and fiber cells whose shapes and organizations depend on filamentous (F-) actin networks. Epithelial cells contain three distinct F-actin networks: lateral cell junctions, basal stress fibers, and unique apical polygonal arrays. These networks consist of tropomyosin (Tpm) isoforms that stabilize F-actin, as well as non-muscle myosin IIA (NMIIA), and are thought to generate contractile or tensile forces to stabilize epithelial deformation and integrity during whole lens shape changes, but this has not been tested. Epithelial cells differentiate into long, thin fiber cells that form complex membrane interlocking protrusions and paddle-like domains that change with maturation and depth. Fiber cell membrane protrusions are supported by F-actin networks stabilized by fiber cell Tpm3.5, which regulates F-actin cross-linkers. In Tpm3.5-depleted lenses, the flexible crosslinker, a- actinin1, is increased on membranes, whereas the stiff crosslinker fimbrin (plastin) is decreased. Tpm3.5- depleted lenses have decreased whole lens stiffness and resiliency suggesting that more flexible F-actin networks allow greater fiber cell membrane deformation to result in softer lenses. However, the mechanistic links between F-actin networks, membrane deformation, cellular architecture, and whole lens shape change are unclear. The objective of this proposal is to determine how the F-actin networks in epithelial and fiber cells control membrane deformations and cellular shapes to confer whole lens transparency and flexibility. To address this, we will use mouse lenses to test gene function and primate lenses as a model for human lens shape change. Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that distinct F-actin and NMIIA networks control epithelial deformation and stability during whole lens shape changes. Tpm isoforms associated with epithelial F-actin networks will be determined, and fluorescent-tagged Tpms, F-actin, NMIIA and cell membranes visualized by live cell confocal microscopy to investigate network dynamics and cell deformation during whole lens shape changes. F-actin network functions will be targeted by pharmacological (mouse and primate) or genetic (mouse) approaches. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that Tpm3.5-regulated F-actin networks in fiber cells confer membrane deformation and lens flexibility in a depth-dependent fashion during whole lens shape change. Fiber cell shape deformations under mechanical strain will be visualized by multiphoton imaging of fluorescent- labeled membranes in live lenses (mouse), membrane structures examined by scanning electron microscopy of lenses fixed under deformation (mouse and primate), and whole lens stiffness measured as a function of lens age. This work will elucidate the fundamental basis by which F-actin networks establish lens epithelial stability and fiber cell deformability to sustain lifelong lens transparency and flexibility. Identification of molecular targets in F-actin networks that control lens flexibility will provide candidates to devise future strategies to mitigate age-related cataracts and presbyopia, which is linked to age-dependent lens stiffening.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2024 · 2005-02

Project Summary The function of the intervertebral disc is mechanical. but disc pathology and LBP is currently evaluated in terms of structural changes, “structural degeneration (s-degen)”, observed from static images, and not in terms of mechanical function changes. While s-degen is considered to be related to pathology, it has had little clinical success discriminating pathology from natural aging. Ex vivo studies have found s-degen is related to progressive degradation of material properties that implies loss of mechanical function, “functional degeneration (f-degen)”, but f-degen remains unquantified in vivo because there is no technique to measure it. Lack of information regarding in vivo mechanics hinders matching symptoms to individual discs and, furthermore, translation of ex vivo results and models to the in vivo context. To study and treat LBP, a technique needs to be developed to quantify disc mechanical function in vivo. MRI is the preferred non- invasive platform to study and diagnose disc health. Unfortunately, current MRI assessment based on a single supine posture is insufficient to assess disc mechanical function. Mechanical function must be determined by how the disc responds to changes in loading state. Therefore, MRI studies of the disc performed under loading states brought about by different spine positions could be used to quantify disc mechanics in vivo. There is a critical need to develop and apply a quantitative, noninvasive in vivo assessment of disc mechanical function and f-degen. The consequence of failing to address this need is hindering efforts to determine mechanisms of disc pathology and to develop and assess new therapies. The goal of this proposal, is to noninvasively quantify disc mechanical function in vivo and establish a new degeneration classification that incorporates f-degen (mechanical function changes) in addition to subject traits (age, sex) and s-degen (structural changes), and to predict the disc's internal stress and strain for in vivo movements. The central hypothesis is that aging and disc degeneration are related to altered mechanical function as assessed in vivo from changes in MRI variables with prescribed loading (morning-to-evening and supine-to-flexed/extended). We propose to: Aim 1: Quantify functional degeneration (f-degen) from in vivo MRI changes between loading states. Aim 2: Create an ex vivo ↔ in vivo translation by replicating in vivo deformation states in separate ex vivo donor specimens. Correlate MRI f-degen with degradation in disc- and tissue-scale material properties. Aim 3: Predict disc stress and strain for in vivo movements using a finite element model linked to MRI. Completion of these aims will yield a new in vivo image-based statistical classification of normal and degenerative disc function. It will provide meaningful and predictive relationships describing human disc physiology and pathophysiology, replacing the inadequate structural grading systems that are the current standard, and will provide new capabilities to measure and predict disc biomechanics in vivo.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2003-12

Extracapsular cataract surgery is a marvel of modern medicine that has greatly reduced the global burden of cataract-related blindness. However, optimal implantation of a replacement intraocular lens requires preservation of most of the lens capsule, the basement membrane surrounding the lens. Since lens epithelial cells (LECs) are tightly attached to the lens capsule, it is not possible to remove all LECs during cataract surgery, and these cells undergo robust wound healing responses characterized by cell proliferation and the transdifferentiation of LECs to scar producing myofibroblasts. While modern intraocular lens implants can sequester myofibroblasts away from the ocular axis short term, these cells can survive long term at the periphery of the capsular bag, and often escape years after surgery, migrating into the visual axis, where they can proliferate, wrinkle the capsule, and produce fibrotic extracellular matrix molecules, leading to the onset of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) years after the initial cataract surgery. Thus, understanding the mechanisms by which myofibroblasts differentiate post lens injury, and maintain their phenotype long term is of great importance. During the last grant cycle, we discovered that fibronectin produced by lens cells after surgery was critical for the maintenance of the fibrotic phenotype of LECs post fiber cell removal while RNAseq profiling revealed that numerous inhibitors of protease activity upregulate their expression dramatically in LECs following lens injury suggesting a key role for fibrotic ECM in establishing and sustaining fibrotic PCO. This proposal seeks to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which fibronectin regulates the fibrotic phenotype of lens epithelial cells and the role of matrix regulators in this process.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2025 · 2001-09

Project Summary The Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (DE-INBRE) catalyzes multidisciplinary biomedical research initiatives that build Delaware’s biomedical research capacity and workforce. The DE- INBRE network consists of five network partner institutions (NPIs): The University of Delaware, a Carnegie R1- doctoral intensive- very high research activity university which also has three associate-in-arts campuses, leads the DE-INBRE program in partnership with two minority-serving primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), Delaware State University (DSU) and Delaware Technical Community College, along with two medical institutions, Christiana Care Health System and Nemours Children’s Health-Delaware. DE-INBRE’s Administrative (ADMIN) core provides logistic/administrative support to all DE-INBRE activities while ensuring compliance with all federal, state and institutional policies, administers a robust Student Research Program that provides mentored scientific research internships to Delaware’s undergraduates, a comprehensive set of Professional Development workshops that foster the success of scientists ranging from undergraduates through faculty, and an Evaluation program that ensures that all DE-INBRE programs are contributing to its mission. The Data Science core supports computational resources, access to biomedical datasets, data science consulting, and the development/dissemination of workshops that train investigators in data science methodology. The Renovation component supports the physical infrastructure needed for DSU to establish at Data Science Laboratory to foster expansion of Data Science research at this HBCU. The DRPP program administers a research grant program that provides seed funding to Delaware’s early stage and new investigators to launch successful biomedical research careers. The Centralized Shared Resources core ensures that Delaware’s scientific community has ready access to a network of 20 core facilities located across Delaware by supporting policies that keep core access open to investigators at all NPIs, vouchers to support investigator core use, training of core facility staff in core management and new technologies. All DE-INBRE components synergize into a robust initiative that will make a major impact on Delaware’s research community.

NIH Research Projects · FY 2026 · 1996-08

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This is an application for the competitive renewal of a T32 Institutional National Research Service Award for a highly successful predoctoral training program in rehabilitation research that trains physical therapist clinician- scientists. There is a significant need for more research that can ultimately generate highly effective and efficient rehabilitation. There is also a dearth of clinical rehabilitation scientists with formal research training who bring multidisciplinary research approaches to address these important questions in rehabilitation. The mission of this program is to help fill these needs by educating and training a diverse group of physical therapists in the science of rehabilitation to improve the function and participation of people living with disabilities. This education and training occurs through interdisciplinary research collaboration with a focus on clinical application. The program fuses two training programs: an outstanding entry level Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) and a highly successful interdisciplinary PhD program in Biomechanics and Movement Science (BIOMS). This DPT-PhD T32 training program is analogous to the MD/PhD programs that train physician scientists. Students in the program become both physical therapists and rehabilitation research scientists. Providing funding to reduce the often-sizable debt incurred from both DPT training and deferred salary eliminates one of the primary barriers to continued research training for physical therapists and helps us to attract a diverse group of students. Trainees are selected from a pool of outstanding students with diverse backgrounds who enter the DPT program. Many of these students select the University of Delaware (UD) because of this DPT-PhD training program, thus attracting the best and brightest individuals with a sincere interest in rehabilitation research. We propose to train 6 predoctoral trainees per year, each for a total duration of 5 years. The interdisciplinary program faculty, from Physical Therapy, Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology and Communication Sciences & Disorders, have diverse rehabilitation research expertise, strong track records of mentoring and research and are committed to training the next generation of rehabilitation clinician-scientists. The program provides a strong curriculum of coursework, seminars, and professional development opportunities that reflect the outstanding rehabilitation research environment at UD. The program has trained 25 PT-PhD clinician-scientists (4 current), all of whom have passed the national licensure exam in Physical Therapy on the first attempt. Our 21 completed trainees are highly successful in achieving productive scientific careers-all but one are in research-intensive positions in major universities, government agencies and foundations, demonstrating a broad impact. In the past 10 years, these trainees have been the Principal Investigator on 27 NIH or VA grants. This renewal focuses on building upon this successful training program by using our ongoing evaluation to guide improvements that address changes in scientific and professional training, and in response to new instructional methods and practices.