Document text
Principal Investigator: Chad Cook
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $527,351
Funding agency: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
ABSTRACT
Whereas a large body of mechanosensation knowledge exists, synergy between our current understanding of
sensory mechanotransduction and Force-Based Manipulations (FBM) mechanisms across research disciplines
remains severely limited. This lack of synergy between these research fields has proven to be a formidable
barrier to the advancement and therapeutic optimization of FBM. To accelerate interdisciplinary collaborative
research and advance the FBM field, we aim to establish a national/international academic and professional
Force-Based Manipulation network (ForceNet). The charge of ForceNet will be to successfully overcome the
long-established barriers pertaining to: 1) the lack of universal FBM force-related metrics, 2) the lack of FBM
mechanistic knowledge (including how mechanosensitive receptors, neurons, and circuits change in pathological
conditions), and 3) the undefined but potentially important role of contextual factors on FBM mechanisms. To
accomplish our Network goals, we will stimulate interdisciplinary research at the intersections of physiology,
biomechanics, big data/artificial intelligence, neuroscience, immunology, imaging and psychology emphasizing
clinical and translationally relevant research addressing FBM metrics of applied force, neural mechanisms of
FBM mechanotransduction, and FBM contextual effects. ForceNet will emphasize the development of new
interdisciplinary collaborations and the submission of novel experimental and translational pre-clinical pilot
projects. These pilot projects will encompass basic, theoretical framework, and translational designs, primary
and secondary analyses, new and ancillary projects, and will be open to investigators across the entire academic
career spectrum. ForceNet aims to grow and diversify the FBM workforce, develop a pipeline of new FBM
interdisciplinary investigators, and encourage new collaborations between larger research-intensive public
universities and smaller Integrative Medicine institutions. ForceNet will use a variety of avenues to create and
share new FBM knowledge and resources including performing a FBM Delphi Study, publishing 6-10 articles in
a special issue of Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy, hosting face-to-face and virtual, workshops,
webinars, creating an interactive website where ForceNet members can locate future interdisciplinary
collaborators, and using social media to promote and share Network resources. Pilot grant awardees will present
their research findings at our annual ForceNet workshops, designed to encourage new interdisciplinary FBM
collaborations. To sustain ForceNet network growth after the funding period ends, we will establish ForceNet
“special interest groups”, satellite events, and social events at large national/international scientific meetings in
which ForceNet members attend regularly and/or serve in a leadership capacity. As current leaders in the field
of basic and clinical FBM research, the resources provided to the ForceNet Leadership Team along with our
highly visible institutions and established personal networks of interdisciplinary collaborators makes our proposal
well positioned to substantially impact FBM mechanistic research and clinical care for decades to come.
Terms: <AI system><Acceleration><Address><Afferent Pathways><Alberta><Alberta province><Application Context><Area><Artificial Intelligence><Behavioral><Behavioral Research><Big Data><BigData><Biological><Biomechanics><Body Tissues><Cellular Mechanotransduction><Cellular biology><Charge><Clinical><Collaborations><Comment><Commentary><Communities><Computer Reasoning><DNA Molecular Biology><Delaware><Delphi Study><Development><Discipline><Dorsal Root Ganglia><EXTMR><Editorial Comment><Educational workshop><Elements><Event><Extramural><Extramural Activities><Funding><Future><Generalized Growth><Goals><Grant><Growth><History><Human><Image><Immunology><Institution><Integrative Medicine><Interdisciplinary Research><Interdisciplinary Study><International><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Investigators><Journals><Knowledge><Leadership><Literature><Machine Intelligence><Magazine><Manipulation Therapy><Manipulative Therapies><Massage><Measurement><Mechanical Signal Transduction><Mechanosensory Transduction><Mediating><Mentors><Methodology><Methods><Modern Man><Molecular Biology><Multidisciplinary Collaboration><Multidisciplinary Research><Musculoskeletal Pain><NIH><National Institutes of Health><Nerve Cells><Nerve Unit><Neural Cell><Neurocyte><Neurons><Neurosciences><Outcome><Pathologic><Physiologic><Physiological><Physiology><Pilot Projects><Position><Positioning Attribute><Probability><Process><Psychology><Psychosocial Effect><Psychosocial Factor><Publications><Published Comment><Publishing><Receptor Protein><Recording of previous events><Research><Research Personnel><Research Priority><Research Resources><Researchers><Resources><Role><Scientific Publication><Scientist><Sensory><Series><Spinal><Spinal Ganglia><Spinal Nerve Roots><Spinal Roots><Spinal nerve root structure><Techniques><Technology><Therapeutic><Therapeutic Uses><Time><Tissue Growth><Tissues><Touch><Touch sensation><Treatment/Psychosocial Effects><United States National Institutes of Health><Universities><Viewpoint><Work><Workshop><biologic><biomechanical><career><cell biology><cell imaging><cellular imaging><clinical care><clinical efficacy><clinical practice><contextual factors><design><designing><developmental><dissemination strategy><dorsal root ganglion><histories><imaging><integrative healing><integrative health><interdisciplinary collaboration><interventional strategy><manual therapy><massage therapy><mechanical force><mechanosensing><mechanotransduction><meeting><meetings><member><minimally invasive><neural><neural circuit><neural circuitry><neural imaging><neural mechanism><neuro-imaging><neurocircuitry><neuroimaging><neurological imaging><neuromechanism><neuronal><novel><ontogeny><pilot study><pre-clinical><preclinical><psychosocial><psychosocial variables><receptor><response><secondary analysis><skills><social><social media><social role><special interest group><synaptic circuit><synaptic circuitry><synergism><systematic review><tactile sensation><tool><transdisciplinary collaboration><virtual><web site><webinar><website>