This Pilot Project Program aims to fund small-scale, innovative research that will nucleate new mechanistic projects focused on the biological mechanisms of STM interventions. The Program values both conceptually innovative projects and technology development proposals. Potential areas include: basic research directly related to social touch, affect and/or STM stimuli (neural circuitry, animal models, mechanistic human subjects research, involvement of non-neural cells and tissues); development of instruments and computational models to quantify spatiotemporal dynamics of stress/strain within soft tissues; multiscale research to identify the mechanisms involving different cell types and organ systems (nervous, immune, musculoskeletal, fascial and/or integumentary systems).