# Informatics Core

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $187,910

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
 INFORMATICS CORE
The goal of the Informatics Core is to collaborate with UM BACPAC MRC investigators and other core
resource scientists to enhance the quality of the research undertaken in the BACPAC initiative. The Core
personnel have been chosen because of their expertise in areas relevant to all stages of the BACPAC
research project, beginning with the formulation of the research question, through the experimental design and
data collection stages, including data analysis and interpretation, to the writing of reports and dissemination of
results. The Informatics Core personnel have played a significant role in designing the proposed studies,
assessing phenotyping components, and in planning the data analysis. In addition to direct support of the
projects and other cores, senior statisticians and bioinformaticians will also focus on methodology development
and the advance of bioinformatics capabilities related to the needs of chronic low back pain research in this
HEAL initiative. The Specific Aims of the Informatics Core are to: a) Assist investigators in the design of
clinical experiment utilizing the SMART design; b) Develop new algorithms for assessing different profiles of
cLBP patients based on pre-treatment phenotypic measures, including patient reported outcomes, quantitative
sensory testing, and multisite functional neuroimaging; c) Assist investigators in the analysis and interpretation
of data from the clinical experiment, including analyses to understand the mechanisms through which
treatments for cLBP reduce pain and increase function and how the phenotypic characteristics of patients
moderate the effectiveness of the proposed interventions, and in writing of manuscripts relaying BACPAC
results to the scientific community; d) Work collaboratively both within the Mechanistic center, and across the
DAC, Tech sites and the larger BACPAC initiative to provide expertise and support for phenotyping cLBP
patients and discovering most effective treatments and/or sequence of treatments for cLBP patients. A number
of distinctive features and innovations were incorporated into the UM Informatics Core to make it more efficient
and cost-effective. We have brought together strengths in Bioinformatics and the algorithmic and pipeline
platforms, and strengths in biomathematical modeling and statistical analysis. To integrate the bioinformatical
and biostatistical support we have included Core faculty with research interests at the intersection of the two
sciences. The UM Informatics Core has proven capability of cutting edge methodology development in
Bioinformatics, Biomathematics and Biostatistics, as well as providing innovative applications of the new
methods to benefit the collaborative BACPAC effort.
.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10765814
- **Project number:** 4U19AR076734-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Alexander Tsodikov
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $187,910
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2019-09-26 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10765814

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10765814, Informatics Core (4U19AR076734-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10765814. Licensed CC0.

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