ABSTRACT The Administrative Core, Core A, will implement the overall vision of the program project. The program project grant will be under the directorship of Dr. Lynda F. Bonewald with Dr. Mark Johnson as Co-Director. The program project contains four projects, an administrative core and two support cores that provide common services for all four projects. The Director, Co-Director, Project Leaders (Principal Investigators), Co-Project Leaders, Core Leaders, and Core Co-Leaders will meet with the Internal Advisory Council once or twice a year through video conferencing and with the External Advisory Board once a year face to face alternating between Kansas City and Indianapolis. The main objective of this core is to provide leadership, coordination of effort, statistical advice and oversight, managerial and budgetary support, and facilitation for the overall operation of the program project grant. The specific aims of this core are: 1. To provide leadership, management, and statistical skills necessary to coordinate and to oversee experimental design within the cores and projects. 2. To coordinate and schedule the activities of the Internal and External Advisory Boards, the PIs meetings, and any support consultants. 3. To coordinate scientific presentations locally and at national and international meetings. 4. To provide for the development and education of students and postdoctoral fellows involved in the program including seminars and data meetings. 5. To provide staff support in the form of budgetary support and review, contractual agreements, preparation of grant reports, written communications, manuscripts, and other supportive activities. In summary, the Administrative Core will oversee the projects and the two resource cores, provide oversight, training, biostatistics support, resources, transparent communication, internal quality control, and will ensure cross project fertilization and collaboration, thereby serving as an essential resource dedicated to the success of the program project.