General Clinical Research Center

EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. The mission of the combined adult and pediatric General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at the University of Chicago is to provide the resources, infrastructure and training for faculty to conduct outstanding translational research which will cure diseases and maintain the health of all people. The GCRC aims to create an environment in which this research is conducted in a safe and ethically sound manner. It is our aim to promote the optimal collaboration among basic researchers and clinical scientists to translate the findings at the bench to improved health at the bedside. Our areas of concentration include: (1) the understanding for the molecular basis for asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, cardiomyopathy,polycystic ovary syndrome, metabolic bone disease and new thyroid diseases; (2) the Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus and other Metabolic Syndromes; (3) Treatment and Diagnosis of Substance Abuse and Stress and (4) Physiology and pathology of sleep as it relates to obesity, ageing, pregnancy and other conditions. Additional areas of concentration include novel treatments for recurrent pregnancy loss; treatment of lung disease and septic shock. We submit 60 protocols from 34 different investigators (20 of whom have NIH funding) from 8 different specialties. We are requesting support for a Sleep and Chronobiology Core that would support 15 protocols. Without GCRC support these protocols cannot be performed. The request includes a core manager and a 0.5 FTE sleep technician as well as equipment necessary to conduct the studies. We are also requesting continued support for the Biostatistician and Statistical Geneticist to review all protocols. The University purchased for the GCRC an automated DNA extractor to keep pace with the large scale genotyping requested by our investigators. We are requesting continued support for laboratory personnel to meet this demand. We anticipate developing a curriculum with the NIH and the World Health Organization to train scientists from other countries in the area of clinical research. Together these requests will allow the GCRC to fulfill its mission of providing the very best in outstanding translational research for the public good.