DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a proposal to establish the University of Rochester Resource-Based Center for Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine (URRBCMBM), which is comprised of an Administrative Core that will run the Enrichment Program, and coordinate and integrate the Histology, Biochemistry and Molecular Imaging (HBMI) and the Biomechanics, Biomaterials and Multimodal Tissue Imaging (BBMTI) Cores to ensure progress of the overall URRBCMBM in an efficient manner. The Internal and External Advisory Committees and meeting structure of the Administrative Core are key elements of organization of communication and collaboration among the URRBCMBM investigators as well as with other faculty in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research and collaborating Departments and Centers within the University. The Specific Aims of the URRBCMBM are: 1) To maintain state-of-the-art resource-based Cores for basic science, translational and clinical musculoskeletal research; and utilize these resources in a cost-effective manner to accelerate the pace of discovery and clinical translation. 2) To continue to foster our highly collaborative environment that serves as model for translation of basic research to clinical trials within an interacting Resource-Based Center, and expand our outreach activities that promote the use of the resources offered by the Core to new external collaborations that will grow our musculoskeletal research base at URMC, nationally and internationally. 3) To grow our Pilot Grant Program from $100,000 to $200,000 per year with institutional funds and philanthropy, which will be targeted to New Investigators as defined by NIH criteria, and enhance our Enrichment Programs beyond these Pilot Grants, the William F. Newman Visiting Professor series, and Annual Musculoskeletal Research Symposium, by actively expanding the research community and promoting innovative research in musculoskeletal biology and medicine. 4) To maintain our CTSC that administers human subject research services in concert with the CTSI, to enhance the translation of basic science to clinical application, and grow collaborative networks with a new emphasis on Big Data science and population health research. And 5) To expand our highly successful Mentoring Program, which facilitates the advancement of our New Investigators to NIH R01 funded PI and national leadership status, and implements the highest standards of scientific rigor in response to NIH's plan to enhance reproducibility.