# Pilot/Exploratory Studies Core (PESC)

> **NIH NIH P30** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $121,309

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core (PESC)
The objective of the Pilot/Exploratory Studies Core (PESC) of the Duke OAIC is to conduct high quality Pilot
Projects that inform the selection, design, and conduct of subsequent larger, hypothesis-driven research in our
theme: to understand and optimize reserve and resilience. The Specific Aims are to: 1) advance top quality
science related to late-life reserve and resilience, 2) attract and nurture a diverse cadre of outstanding early
investigators in aging research or established investigators pursuing promising new directions related to our
theme, and 3) build and sustain relationships with critical stakeholders to maximize the impact and translation
of the work conducted through this and future OAICs. By leveraging institutional funding, we will support at
least three Pilot Projects per year. We use small exploratory pilot monies as a rapid response mechanism to
take advantage of cutting edge areas. The PESC solicits and selects high quality pilot studies from across
Duke University Medical Center using a rigorous, multi-stage process that incorporates internal and external
review. The PESC carefully monitors study progress and assists in the development of larger grant proposals
from pilot study findings. To accomplish our Aims, the Duke PESC includes several highly innovative features:
1) the Pilot Grants Workshop, developed by OAIC Director Kenneth Schmader and frequently requested in
national venues, 2) the inclusion of patient/community representatives on the Review Panel selecting pilots, 3)
the Data Integration Working Group, which is a central hub for scientific development, oversight, and promoting
translation, and 4) mechanisms that support the science and careers of unfunded pilot study applicants. Four
Pilot Projects are proposed in the first two years. PES1 investigates the feasibility and efficacy of a pre-
operative exercise intervention (“prehabilitation”) to enhance resilience for older adults undergoing elective
surgery. PES2 investigates the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4)-mediated mechano-
transduction in restoring the reserve capacity of old chondrocytes, potentially improving their ability to
withstand physiological load and avoid osteoarthritis. PES3 will demonstrate the effect of aging on autophagy
in muscle stem cells and seek specific mechanistic targets for enhancing muscle reserve and reducing
sarcopenia. PES4 incorporates clinical and biological data to develop clinical prediction rules useful in
predicting resilience in older multiple myeloma patients undergoing chemotherapy. The PESC impacts public
health by performing studies that develop knowledge to maintain or recover independence in older Americans,
by promoting reserve and resilience in the face of chronic and acute stressors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9971419
- **Project number:** 5P30AG028716-15
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Heather E. Whitson
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $121,309
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9971419

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9971419, Pilot/Exploratory Studies Core (PESC) (5P30AG028716-15). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9971419. Licensed CC0.

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