RCMI-CC Clinical Research Pilot Projects Program

This pilot proposal seeks to establish a proof of concept for SMART Transitions and increase our understanding of whether and how medically vulnerable older adults can benefit from telehealth kits and the associated clinical outcomes. We will assess the feasibility and acceptability of this technology-based initiative among older adults, identify barriers and facilitators to adoption, and document reported changes in blood sugar, blood pressure, and medication adherence.

The proposed study aims to assess the association between stress, coping, cultural risk and protective factors, and alcohol and substance use among Latina mothers living in the United States. The study will assess heterogeneity among Latinas from different cultural backgrounds including South American, Central American, Mexican, and Caribbean cultures. The long-term goal of this line of research is to identify specific risk and protective factors that can inform strategies to prevent alcohol and substance use disorders among an at-risk population and reduce the inter-generational effects of substance use passed from parents to children.

This project will address mental health and HIV disparities through a culturally tailored, personalized mHealth intervention designed for Black women with HIV. By evaluating both the intervention content and the app prototype using a robust mixed-methods design, this study will generate data on cultural appropriateness, perceived usefulness, likely adoption, and the desire for a novel mHealth approach focused on anxiety sensitivity reduction and improvements in HIV medication adherence and care engagement. This foundational work will directly inform the development of an optimized, culturally aligned app that is ready for rigorous testing in a future randomized controlled trial.

This study will develop a novel disease specific predictive energy equasion (PEE) to enhance the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA is an emerging health crisis that the is underdiagnosed and undertreated among Blacks and other minorities. It is critical that steps are taken to help prevent is from worsening. Weight loss through nutritional intervention is a frontline treatment of OSA, and developing methods to enhance tailored nutritional interventions has the potential to lead to improved outcomes. The results of this study will facilitate thedevelopment of individualized nutrition therapy plans that target individuals that accounting for the unique factors affedtied by OSA.

Sickle cell disease is a debilitating genetic condition that disproportionately affects African Americans. Over the past two decades, there has been limited progress in developing consistent therapies to effectively manage vaso-occlusive crises (VOC). In this proposal, we plan to investigate pathways that provide insight into how the gut microbiome may contribute to the development and severity of VOC.

With the rise in cardiovascular disease health disparities, there is a need for an effective and non-invasive preventative intervention to address high-risk individuals, particularly young adults. This research will meet a public health need by conducting a randomized controlled trial examining the effectiveness of a 4-week heart rate variability prevention intervention in improving physiological stress response and optimizing emotional regulation. Outcomes will be evaluated using Heart Rate Variability, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test to measure both psychological and physiological responses to stress.

This project is one the first studies to characterize both innate and adaptive immune memory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination using cohorts from Hawaiʻi. Data generated from this study will lay the foundation to define the SARS-CoV-2 immune response in Hawaiʻi’s population. This study may also reveal conserved targets that may elicit more broadly protective antibody responses or identify memory T cell subpopulations involved in long-term protection, which will impact our understanding behind the durability of immunity after infection or vaccination and help inform vaccine development.

Inflammatory heart diseases such as heart transplant rejection, cardiac amyloidosis, myocarditis, and sarcoidosis are difficult to treat. By investigating large datasets and endomyocardial biopsy tissue, we will explore dynamic cellular and molecular perturbations underpinning these inflammatory cardiac diseases. This work will generate targets to tackle cardiac inflammation and prevent heart failure, and reduce health disparities in cardiovascular diseases.

Obesity is widespread in African Americans (AA) with greater prevalence in AA women. Obesity leads to life-threatening comorbidities and death. This proposal examines the therapeutic potential of capsaicin-the main ingredient in chili pepper in burning calories to heat in fat tissue isolated from obese humans as currently approved anti-obesity drugs provide modest weight loss but have severe adverse effects.

CardioCare Quest is an innovative telehealth game designed to improve treatment compliance and education for High Blood Pressure (HBP), among populations in Arizona and Texas. The project's primary goals include the design and development of minigames focused on five factors: medication adherence, blood pressure monitoring, hypertension education, nutrition, and exercise. Additionally, it seeks to collect preliminary data through a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the game's usability, engagement, and utility. The methodology of the CardioCare Quest project involves a participatory design approach tailored to the specific health needs of our target populations. This data is intended to refine the game and support a larger-scale study to evaluate its long-term efficacy in improving HBP treatment compliance and education.

Lung cancer incidence and outcome show significant disparities, especially in Hawaiians and African Americans. This project aims to integrate transcriptome and metabolomics profiling data to understand the early development and biological networks of lung cancer in various populations. It aligns perfectly with RCMI's mission of Eliminating Cancer Health Disparities, and will significantly impact the lung cancer early detection.

This study as it pioneers the exploration of bio-behavioral outcomes, specifically stimulant use and systemic inflammation, within a comprehensive social and structural framework among Latinos. By investigating the impact of social adversity at individual, neighborhood, and structural level, this study aims to elucidate the associations between these adversities and stimulant use and chronic systemic inflammation – both recognized contributors to chronic disorders.

Environmental determinants of pregnancy and birth outcome disparities are understudied, as is the role of the placenta in mediating and moderating their effects. This is particularly true for Asian and multi-ancestry or admixed populations where both exposure levels and effects thereof may be greater. This study provides some of the first experimental evidence for newer PFAS of concern on placental function as well as develops a computational, multiomic method to better investigate the role of placental function in PFAS-exposure related disparities. Overall, this work develops a model for investigating other contaminants and understudied populations.