Funded and unfunded studies are conducted in the Clinical Research Center (CRC), which is part of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science. The CRC's inpatient and outpatient areas include 14 patient beds, an outpatient bay, a core laboratory, a computing informatics area, a bionutrition kitchen and an exercise physiology laboratory. The $8.6 million, three-year grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Research Resources provides infrastructure for investigators to conduct human-subjects research. Approximately 100 clinical studies are active on the unit at any one time. The Center is also a training ground for young investigators, from medical students through junior faculty. A mentoring program helps develop clinical research projects using lectures as well as individualized mentoring relevant to the individual’s research goals. Core areas within the Center include: Bionutrition, Metabolic, Body Composition Exercise Physiology Core; Biostatistics; Research Subject Advocacy; Nursing; Informatics; and the Core Laboratory.
Ongoing Research Programs (Core Areas)
- Bionutrition, Metabolic, Body Composition and Exercise Physiology – With the increasing incidence of overweight and obesity in the U.S. population, there is a heightened awareness and sensitivity among Ohio State investigators for incorporating bionutrition and exercise-related measures into their research. These Core capabilities include: metabolic
kitchen and feeding trials; dietary assessment and counseling/education; body composition assessments; metabolic rate and substrate utilization assessments; cardiovascular fitness, physical activity and flexibility assessments; protocol design and development assistance; and data-evaluation assistance.
- Biostatistics – Biostatistical support for the Center's activities is provided for investigators developing and analyzing their studies. Support includes consultation and developmental
assistance on hypothesis generation, experimental design, sample size and power calculation, data management, data quality assurance and statistical analysis of data.
- Research Subject Advocacy (RSA) – The RSA program provides guidance and oversight for the safe and ethical conduct of research activities involving human subjects with due consideration of the study design, level of risk, and/or sponsorship. This program assures that the protection of human subjects be accorded the highest priority.
- Nursing – With the increasing complexity and number of protocols, nursing staff are vital in promoting safety and efficiency within the Center. In 2003-2004, The Center's nurses teamed with other nursing units and hospital nursing administration to obtain Magnet status for the Medical Center.
- Informatics – The Informatics Core provides technical solutions to the data-management needs of the research community. With available services and software, the need for manual data entry has been virtually eliminated.
- Core Laboratory – The Core Laboratory, composed of processing and analytical laboratories, provides analytical support for investigators via high-quality assays, standardized quality-control procedures, effective cost-control measures and automated equipment. Specialized assays with Endocrine, Neuro-Endocrine, Metabolic, Obesity, Diabetes, Inflammatory and Bone panels have been developed for use by investigators.
Research Accomplishments of 2007
- Agriculture – testing the validity of a simulated environment with dangerous farm equipment using endocrine measures to validate stressful simulations
- AIDS/HIV – phase I trials for HIV-infected subjects requiring hemodialysis
- Autism – studying attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in autism; Risperidone and behavior therapy in children with pervasive developmental disorders; oral human immunoglobulin in autism
- Behavioral Medicine – examining olfactory sensitivity and physiological responses; caregiver stress in parents of children with mood disorders; chronic stress and immune
function
- Cancer – stress and immunity project for women with breast cancer; oral cancer studies; prostate cancer and lycopene supplementation
- Cardiology – studying management of patients with heart failure; chronic heart failure and survivors of an acute myocardial infarction
- Community – Navigator research projects in Appalachia involving models of early detection and access to care with focus on smoking cessation, prostate and breast cancer; lifestyle and cancer in the Amish
- Critical Care Medicine – studies relating to obese critically ill patients: outcome and process disparities
- Diabetes – conducting prevention trials; type 2 diabetes mellitus studies in African-Americans; management of type 2 diabetes mellitus by conjugated linoleic acid
- Neurology – developing new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy; studying effects of
psychosocial stress and genetics on cognition
- Pediatrics – Studies of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis function in adolescent antisocial females; growth hormone and endothelial function; natural history of the development of type 1 diabetes; childhood obesity; hypoglycemia and endothelial function; health consequences of sleep apnea in obese children and its association with gastroesophageal reflux
- Pulmonary – alveolar macrophage proteomics in HIVassociated emphysema; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients with AIDS; pulmonary rehabilitation exercise on biobehavioral outcomes in COPD
- Transplantation – studying bone architecture in patients with renal transplant; living unrelated kidney donor and sibling follow-up