Objectives/Goals: This study aims to explore the relationship between plasma biomarkers (GFAP, NF-L, and IL-1β) and cognitive impairment in moderate to severe TBI patients. We will assess biomarker levels and their link to neurocognitive outcomes at acute and chronic stages of injury. Methods/Study Population: We will recruit 100 patients aged 21 years and older with moderate to severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Score 3–12) from a trauma hospital. Blood samples will be collected at 24–72 hours post-injury and again at 3 and 6 months. Plasma levels of GFAP, NF-L, and IL-1β will be measured using multiplex ELISA. Neurocognitive tests will be administered at 3 and 6 months to assess cognitive function. Correlations will be made between biomarker levels, neurocognitive performance, and disability scores (Disability Rating Scale and Glasgow Outcome Scale). Exosome isolation from plasma will allow for detailed analysis of astrocyte-derived biomarkers and their association with long-term cognitive impairment and recovery. Results/Anticipated Results: We anticipate that plasma levels of GFAP, NF-L, and IL-1β will be elevated in the acute phase of moderate to severe TBI and will correlate with injury severity. At 3 and 6 months, higher levels of IL-1β, in particular, are expected to be strongly associated with cognitive deficits. We also anticipate that biomarkers in astrocyte-derived exosomes will provide more specific insights into long-term neuroinflammation and its impact on cognitive function. These findings could pave the way for targeted, personalized interventions to improve recovery in TBI patients. Discussion/Significance of Impact: This research focuses on inflammation’s role in cognitive impairment and disability in TBI patients. We propose using multiple biomarkers – GFAP, IL-1β, NF-L – paired with advanced techniques like exosomes and multiplex analyses to identify novel therapeutic targets, aiming for personalized treatment strategies, as well as prognosis.

Objectives/Goals: pT217-tau is a novel fluid biomarker that predicts onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) symptoms, but little is known about how pT217-tau arises in brain, as soluble pT217-tau is dephosphorylated postmortem in the humans. Aging macaques naturally develop tau pathology with the same qualitative pattern and sequence as humans, including cortical pathology. Methods/Study Population: The etiology of pT217-tau in aging brains can be probed in rhesus macaques, where perfusion fixation allows capture of phosphorylated proteins in their native state. We utilized multi-label immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase and immunogold immunoelectron microscopy to examine the subcellular localization of early-stage pT217-tau in entorhinal cortex (ERC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) of aged rhesus macaques with naturally occurring tau pathology and assayed pT217-tau levels in blood plasma using an ultrasensitive nanoneedle approach. Results/Anticipated Results: pT217-tau labeling is primarily observed in postsynaptic compartments, accumulating in: 1) dendritic spines on the calcium-storing smooth endoplasmic reticulum spine apparatus near asymmetric glutamatergic-like synapses and 2) in dendritic shafts, where it aggregated on microtubules, often “trapping” endosomes associated with Aβ42. The dendrites expressing pT217-tau were associated with autophagic vacuoles and dysmorphic mitochondria, indicative of early neurite degeneration. We observed trans-synaptic pT217-tau trafficking between neurons within omega-shaped bodies and endosomes, specifically near excitatory, but not inhibitory synapses. We also examined pT217-tau in blood plasma in macaques across age-span and observed a statistically significant age-related increase in pT217-tau. Discussion/Significance of Impact: We provide direct evidence of pT217-tau trafficking between neurons near synapses to “seed” tau pathology in higher brain circuits, interfacing with the extracellular space to become accessible to CSF and blood. The expression of pT217-tau in dendrites with early signs of degeneration may help to explain why this tau species can herald future diseases.

In healthcare and medical research, advisory boards are now commonplace, but most boards consist of a relatively homogenous, geographically collocated group, often demonstrating demographic imbalance. It is crucial to include individuals from diverse backgrounds on community advisory boards for healthcare and medical research to address ongoing health disparities and ensure studies are more culturally competent so that we can achieve more inclusive representation. We conducted purposeful recruitment to attract a demographically diverse group of community members across the United States (U.S.) to partner with the All of Us Research Program to inform our strategies including program recruitment, engagement, retention, and incentives. Recruitment of a diverse group of advisors and purposeful community building has created a psychologically safe environment where members openly share their opinions, thoughts, and perspectives to shape various aspects of this ambitious, nationwide research program.

Objectives/Goals: Transgender women who have sex with men (TGWSM) have higher HIV risk. The rectal mucosal (RM) immune environment of TGWSM who choose feminizing hormone therapy (FHT) has been shown to be distinct from the RM of cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM). We studied the impact of FHT on the adaptive immune cellular composition of the RM. Methods/Study Population: We sampled cross-sectional and longitudinal cohorts of TGWSM and cisgender MSM from The Silom Clinic in Bangkok, Thailand from December 2020 to December 2023. We included participants aged >18 years, all cisgender MSM and TGWSM with FHT levels in the therapeutic range for cisgender women. We performed RM biopsies and analyzed the adaptive immune cell characteristics via flow cytometry. We will perform binary linear regression to assess the association between systemic FHT levels and the percentage of CD4+ T cells expressing key biomarkers. Primary outcomes include the percentage of CD4+ T cells that express CCR5, with a secondary outcome of the percentage of CD4+ T cells that express Ki67. Results/Anticipated Results: The cross-sectional cohort included 100 TGWSM on FHT and 50 cisgender MSM. The longitudinal cohort included 25 TGWSM who were initiating FHT. Similar primary and secondary outcomes are to be elucidated in both cohorts. We anticipate the RM environment of TGWSM using FHT in both cohorts compared to the RM environment of cisgender MSM in the cross-sectional cohort will be associated with greater percentages of activation/co-receptor expression of CD4+ T cells that express biomarkers of interest. In the longitudinal cohort, we similarly anticipate increased percentages and activation/co-receptor expression of CD4+ T cells expressing biomarkers of interest in TGWSM after in comparison to before initiating FHT. Discussion/Significance of Impact: This is the largest study of its kind to compare HIV target cells in RM of TGSWM, which challenges prevailing perspectives suggesting to group cisgender MSM with TGWSM. Anticipated results will inform HIV prevention strategies and future vaccine studies in this high-risk population.

Objectives/Goals: NAD+ synthesis is enhanced in glioblastoma (GBM) allowing GBM to resist chemotherapy. NQO1 is upregulated in GBM and may be targeted by β-lapachone (β-lap) to induce NAD-depletion and cell death. This project investigates NQO1 as a selective target for GBM and the contributions of glucose and uridine to NAD+ synthesis. Methods/Study Population: Survival Studies and NQO1 expression. RNA-seq and survival data from TCGA of glioma patients (n = 667) was obtained using the UCSC Xena platform. Western blots were utilized to determine expression levels of NQO1 and NAMPT in normal human astrocytes, U87 cells, and patient-derived GBM cell lines. Immunocytochemistry: γ-H2AX staining was used to evaluate β-lap induced DNA damage. NQO1-dependence was evaluated with the NQO1-inhibitor dicoumarol. Cytotoxicity measurements. Cells were exposed to β-lap and other inhibitors, and cell survival was determined by trypan-blue exclusion assay. Co-culturing experiments were performed with fluorescently labeled U87 cells and unlabeled astrocytes. NAD+ quantification. Intracellular NAD+ was acid extracted and quantified by an enzyme-cycling reaction. Results/Anticipated Results: NQO1 overexpression is linked to decreased survival in glioma patients. In glioma patients, high NQO1 expression was associated with a decreased overall survival and high-grade tumors. β-lap induces selective NAD+ depletion and cell death in NQO1-expressing GBM cells. Western blots demonstrate NQO1 expression to be elevated in GBM cell lines compared to normal human astrocytes. β-lap induces NQO1-dependent NAD+ depletion and cell death in GBM compared to astrocytes in mono- and co-culture experiments. Glucose and uridine facilitate NAD+ regeneration in GBM. We demonstrate extracellular glucose and uridine facilitate NAD+ regeneration and cell survival in β-lap exposed GBM cells. Utilizing inhibitors, we determined that glucose and uridine facilitate NAD+ regeneration through the NAD+ salvage pathway. Discussion/Significance of Impact: GBM is the most common primary adult CNS tumor with a median survival of 14 months. Despite significant research in therapeutic strategies, treatment has not improved in 2 decades. There is a significant need to discover new targets that may improve GBM treatment. We demonstrate here that targeting NQO1 with β-lap induces selective GBM toxicity.

Objectives/Goals: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive form of breast cancer (BC) with limited treatment options. Mortality rate is especially high in African American (AA) women of reproductive age. High levels of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) have been shown in TNBC cells. This study is to investigate Ca2+ channel blockers (CCBs) as therapy for TNBC. Methods/Study Population: Two human TNBC cell lines obtained from ATCC – HCC1806, and MDA-MB-453 are treated with CCBs, Cilnidipine (Cil), and Mibefradil (Mib), in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Cell proliferation assays are performed by the MTS cell viability assay. Intracellular Ca2+ levels are measured using the fluorescent dye: Fluro 4-AM. Apoptosis is determined by flow cytometry using Annexin V staining and mitochondrial permeability will be assessed by the Mito JC-1 assay. Expression of Ca2+ signaling genes will be quantitated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Potential pathways of CCB efficacy will be identified by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). Results/Anticipated Results: Our findings show both CCBs decrease cell proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner to a maximum of 80% vs. control in both TNBC cells. Flow cytometry findings on both TNBC cells treated with both drugs at 20 µM for 24 hours depicts late apoptosis. Interestingly, Mib did not change the intracellular Ca2+ level in HCC1806 cells yet decreased in MDA-MB-453 cells by fivefold, while Cil increased the intracellular Ca2+ level in both cells almost twofold. It is anticipated that Mito JC-1 assay depict decreased mitochondrial potential in both cells. For reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, it is anticipated that CCB treatment will increase transient receptor potential Ca2+ channels and decrease voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in both cells. IPA analysis is expected to show apoptotic pathways are involved in TNBC via CCB treatment. Discussion/Significance of Impact: TNBC lacks the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Treatment options for TNBC remain severely limited. Our findings that both Cil and Mib can inhibit proliferation of human breast cancer cell lines indicate repurposing CCBs as treatment for TNBC warrants further investigation.

Objectives/Goals: The overarching objective of this study is to inform clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders of the level of evidence and the real-world risk-to-benefit profiles associated with older antidepressant drugs that are frequently used off-label. Methods/Study Population: A PubMed literature review was performed to identify clinical trials conducted in the USA between 2013 and 2023 for trazodone and 2000 and 2023 for escitalopram and citalopram. These studies were examined for robustness, due to sample size, study design, and generalizability. Findings were compared with information provided on UpToDate® LexiDrug™, a primary database used by clinicians to inform prescribing practice. To explore risks associated with off-label use, the FDA adverse event reporting system was probed to identify adverse events reported for each drug; results were systematically categorized by reason for use. To compare the volume of on-label to off-label prescriptions, data will be extracted from electronic health records from University of Southern California-affiliated hospitals. Results/Anticipated Results: Studies conducted on off-label prescriptions of these drugs show primarily small sample sizes, pointing to a limitation in generalizability. For citalopram (N = 77) and trazodone (N = 42), over half of their off-label studies had samples of 50 participants or less. These two drugs also showed low evidence rating for off-label prescription on LexiDrug due to limited power studies. Multiple health agencies recommend against off-label prescriptions for trazodone due to insufficient evidence. There is limited data in the US regarding the volume of off-label prescriptions; however, trazodone’s FAERS analysis indicated a large proportion of adverse event reports (1099/7239) come from cases where trazodone was used for insomnia, an off-label indication, compared to depression, the on-label indication (464/7239). Discussion/Significance of Impact: With 1 in 6 Americans taking antidepressants and 40%–80% of these psychiatric prescriptions being employed off-label, there is a serious and present risk for patients regarding the safety and efficacy of these medications. Awareness must be brought to clinicians to protect patients and encourage evidence-based practice.

This pilot 2-week, randomized controlled trial examined integrating digital storytelling (DST) with heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) to enhance psycho-emotional well-being of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) patients. HCT patients (N = 25; Mage = 51.9 years) were randomly assigned: (1) DST + HRVB intervention, or (2) DST-only control. Both groups viewed four emotionally-rich digital stories. The DST + HRVB group practiced HRVB at home for ten minutes/day. DST + HRVB participants decreased anger, depression, fatigue (d = 0.53) and increased emotional processing (d = 0.20), and HRV-assessed autonomic nervous system balance (3.5 vs. 0.9). This study supports feasibility of integrating DST with HRVB, and effect sizes indicate superiority of combining DST with HRVB.

Objectives/Goals: We aim to establish a systematic approach to distinguish translational science from translational research. Our goal is to create a simple tool that would enable individuals with different backgrounds and levels of expertise to readily determine whether a study truly features translational science. Methods/Study Population: Participants were recruited from a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program hub and randomly divided into 2 groups. One group was asked, with minimal guidance, to categorize whether publications described translational science or translational research. The group met to resolve disagreements and identify key indicators and challenges in determining whether a study involves translational science. They provided input on a set of guiding questions intended to facilitate the identification of translational science. The second group did not participate in discussion or tool development. Both groups reviewed a new set of publications, using the tool to guide their assessments. Results/Anticipated Results: Based on publication assessments, we will assess the percent agreement among reviewers in each group for each publication and across the set. We anticipate that the first group will exhibit higher agreement for its second round of review than its first, owing to the benefit of discussion with colleagues and provision of guiding questions. We anticipate that the tool will also promote higher agreement among the second group in their first round of review. We predict that both groups will exhibit high rates of agreement when reviewing with the support of guiding questions. Discussion/Significance of Impact: This study will help us understand interpretations of translational science, a term that has sparked debate and disagreement within CTSA hubs. If successful, the guiding questions will provide CTSAs a tool to improve training, proposal responsiveness, and review for translational science projects.

Clinical translational neuroscience (CTN) is positioned to generate novel discoveries for advancing treatments for mental health disorders, but it is held back today by the siloing of bioethical considerations from critical consciousness. In this article, we suggest that bioethical and critical consciousness can be paired to intersect with structures of power within which science and clinical practice are conducted. We examine barriers to the adoption of neuroscience findings in mental health from this perspective, especially in the context of current collective attention to widespread disparities in the access to and outcomes of mental health services, lack of representation of marginalized populations in the relevant sectors of the workforce, and the importance of knowledge that draws upon multicultural perspectives. We provide 10 actionable solutions to confront these barriers in CTN research, as informed by existing frameworks such as structural competency, adaptive calibration models, and community-based participatory research. By integrating critical consciousness with bioethical considerations, we believe that practitioners will be better positioned to benefit from cutting-edge research in the biological and social sciences than in the past, alert to biases and equipped to mitigate them, and poised to shepherd in a robust generation of future translational therapies and practitioners.

Objectives/Goals: Our lab’s novel adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) significantly improves survival in brain tumor models. However, there is a lack of biomarkers to assess immunotherapy responses. Our objective is to use gold nanorods to track hematopoietic stem cell migration, a critical arm of ACT, and validate it as a prognostic biomarker. Methods/Study Population: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were isolated from the bone marrow of 6-week-old C57BL/6J mice and co-cultured with varying gold nanorod (GNR) concentrations and time points. GNR uptake in HSCs was evaluated with inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry, two-photon luminescence, and tissue histology. After GNR co-culture, HSC viability and differentiation were quantified with flow cytometry and colony forming unit assays. To evaluate the impact of GNRs on HSC reconstitution, mice received myeloablative total body irradiation and intravenously received GNR-labeled HSCs. Computed tomography (CT) contrast of GNRs will be confirmed through microCT. Lastly, mice will intracranially receive KR158b glioma and GNR-labeled HSC bio-distribution will be measured after ACT and correlated with survival outcomes. Results/Anticipated Results: We have demonstrated that GNRs are readily taken up by HSCs within 30 minutes, and retained within intracellular compartments, via TPL. Incubation of GNRs with HSCs did not significantly alter cell viability or differentiation, supporting the GNR’s favorable biosafety profile. Colony-forming unit assays revealed that GNR incubation did not significantly disrupt the total number of colonies formed and qualitatively, colonies did not demonstrate significant lineage differences. GNR-labeled HSCs demonstrated significant reconstitution after myeloablative total body irradiation in mice. We expect that GNR-labeled HSCs will distribute to the glioma microenvironment and draining lymph nodes, positively correlating with long-term survival after ACT. Discussion/Significance of Impact: GNRs harbored high biosafety and feasibility for tracking HSC migration after ACT. We seek to translate this theranostic tool into the current first-in-human clinical trials at our institution for patients diagnosed with neuroblastoma and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma to improve immunotherapies against brain malignancies.

The Mountain West Clinical and Translational Infrastructure Network Community Engagement and Outreach (CEO) Core has fostered academic-community engagement since 2018. States historically receiving lower levels of NIH funding are characterized by significantly higher proportions of rural and remote populations, as well as uniquely elevated percentages of Native American/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations compared to most other states. This case study highlights the Core’s efforts in advancing community-engaged research. Key initiatives included forming a CEO Core Steering Committee to recruit interdisciplinary investigators, establishing regional community advisory boards to identify research priorities, and creating a Resource Library and Training Portal for stakeholders. The Core also collaborated with other Cores to provide training, mentorship, and funding for community-engaged research. Despite these achievements, geographical and cultural diversity presented engagement challenges. Regular meetings between investigators and stakeholders ensured bidirectional communication and aligned goals. The Core transformed transactional engagement into meaningful collaboration, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary teams who understand community needs. Future goals include training academic teams, clinical providers, and community members, empowering early-stage investigators to share findings with partners, leveraging health records for research, and developing strategies to protect investigators’ time.

Objectives/Goals: Opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy and its implications on the maternal-fetal interface has been relatively understudied. Here, we aimed to uncover the impact of maternal OUD on placental structure, function, and inflammatory responses and further stratified our findings by maternal hepatitis C (HCV) infection. Methods/Study Population: To address this knowledge gap, we collected placental tissue from healthy pregnancies (control) and those with opioid use disorder with and without maternal HCV infection. First, placental development was assessed by gross and histological examination of the placenta. Immune cells were then isolated from decidua (maternal) and chorionic villous (fetal) placental tissues, and the frequency and phenotype of immune subsets were determined by flow cytometry. Markers of inflammation, placental perfusion, growth factors, tissue remodeling, and vascularization were measured in placental tissue homogenate by multiplex Luminex assay. Finally, gene expression alterations in placental architecture were assessed by Visium spatial transcriptomics, integrating transcriptomic data with spatial information. Results/Anticipated Results: Our results indicate that maternal OUD impairs placental perfusion/development and is accompanied by increased markers of inflammation in the decidua (IL-1Ra, IL-2, IL-18, IP-10, MIP-1β, and TNFα) and villous (IL-6 and IL-8). Furthermore, markers of angiogenesis and placental development are altered in the decidua, including increased EGF and IL-6Ra, but decreased FLT-1, FLT-4, and bFGF. The abundance of placental immune cells is varied with OUD/HCV, including decreased frequencies of decidual macrophages and NK cells, critical for blood supply to the fetus, and increased abundance of infiltrating maternal macrophages in fetal chorionic villous. Finally, spatial transcriptomics revealed aberrant infiltration of activated immune cells and modified processes associated with inflammation and angiogenesis. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Altogether, these findings suggest a profound impact of maternal OUD with and without maternal HCV infection on the structure, function, and immune landscape of the maternal–fetal interface that can alter fetal development and maturation.

Objectives/Goals: We investigated the risk of trauma in the form of fractures and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) among Medicare beneficiaries with incident Parkinson’s disease (PD) age ≥67 compared to population-based controls. Secondarily, we examined the risk of death following a fracture in PD cases compared to controls. Methods/Study Population: We identified incident PD cases (N = 94,317) within a population-based sample of 2017 Medicare beneficiaries. Controls (N = 471,585) were matched 5:1 on month and year. We obtained claims data from 2017 to 2019 to follow cases and controls to identify new fractures treated in a hospital. Our primary outcome was any fracture. We also considered fracture type and TBI. We compared frailty level between cases and controls. We used logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between trauma and PD after adjusting for the following covariates: selected medical comorbidities, age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking, and use of care. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CI for trauma in cases compared to controls using the same covariates. Results/Anticipated Results: Compared to controls, PD patients who developed a fracture were more likely to have a history of falls (OR = 2.20, 95% CI 2.08–2.34) and difficulties in walking (OR = 2.66, 95% CI 2.50–2.82). Compared to controls with a fracture, PD patients with a fracture were more likely to be moderately frail (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.25–1.64). PD cases had a higher risk of all fracture types, including hip (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.85, 2.01), spine (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.79, 2.02), upper extremity (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.58–1.80), and other traumas such as a TBI (OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.88–2.43). PD patients had greater mortality following a fracture (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.13–1.24) than controls. Discussion/Significance of Impact: The burden of trauma in the first two years immediately after PD diagnosis is high and warrants the initiation of early fall and fracture prevention strategies, in addition to aggressive treatment of PD symptoms by all providers caring for patients with PD.