Core A - Administrative Core: Project Summary / Abstract The Administrative Core is responsible for leadership and management of the Genetics and Genomics of Leiomyosarcoma (LMS): Improved understanding of cancer biology and new approaches to diagnosis and treatment SPORE. The leadership of this Core addresses challenges and opportunities arising in the SPORE weekly webinars, in-person group meetings and ongoing progress reports. The aim is to ensure Project co- leaders and their investigators are making progress in achieving their aims and that the Cores are providing the needed support to ensure overall translational goals are achieved. The Administrative Core will oversee the Career Enhancement (CEP) and Developmental Research (DRP) Programs, by establishing expectations and helping overcome challenges, such that these programs fulfill their vital missions to implement effective plans to recruit early career investigators and identify promising, innovative developmental projects. Core leadership will be responsible for coordinating the External Advisory Board (EAB) meetings and calls as needed to ensure the EAB is kept informed of progress as well as any challenges requiring their advice. Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) provides an ideal opportunity for a collaborative SPORE program that brings together exceptional laboratory and clinical translational scientists with the collective goal of better understanding leiomyosarcoma and improving treatment. This work will have broader relevance to other sarcoma sub-types including undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and osteosarcoma. The team assembled for this grant has been working together on LMS focused research with philanthropic support for the past 3 years. The Principal Investigators and Core Co-Director have worked together over the past 18+ years on collaborative research projects at the University of Michigan and within an academic research consortium. As leaders in the research consortium, Dr. Baker, Dr. Schuetze and Ms. Reinke have the skills and understanding of what is needed to bring a multi-institutional team together and facilitate collaborative research successfully. The leadership team will be administratively supported by the grant management infrastructure at the University of Michigan Medical School which effectively manages NIH grant funding not only at the University but across collaborative academic institutions, a structure aligned with the organization of this grant. The SPORE investigators are aware of the challenges, resource requirements and potential pitfalls relevant to the conduct of this collaborative research and these challenges are mitigated by engaging the well-established collaborative infrastructure of this team. We have created a flexible, highly interactive Administrative Core whereby research plans are collaboratively developed, progress is rigorously monitored, and adjustments are rapidly implemented so as to realize the SPORE goals of improved sarcoma patient care ...