Emory/Georgia TB Research Advancement Center (TRAC)

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The overarching goal of the Clinical & Population Science Core (Clinical Core) is to accelerate data-driven solutions to the persistent challenges of domestic and global TB control. To meet this goal, the Core’s strategic imperative is to promote innovative research on TB by fostering new collaborations and by expanding existing collaborations among scientists across diverse disciplines at Emory University, University of Georgia (UGA), other partner institutions in Georgia, and internationally. A major strength of the Emory/Georgia TRAC is our long-standing, productive research partnerships with both international (Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Philippines, and the country of Georgia) and domestic sites (DeKalb and Fulton County Boards of Health; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). These research sites provide clinical care to diverse patient populations, have state-of-the-art laboratories and data management systems, and are directly engaged in translating research into policy at the local, national, and global levels. Clinical Core faculty are world-renowned TB scientists with successful track records of leading impactful clinical and epidemiologic research in TB/HIV, drug-resistant TB, TB transmission, pediatric TB, TB/diabetes, and post-TB lung health. Their cutting-edge work has integrated innovative epidemiologic and biostatistical methods to advance our approach to TB research, including geospatial methods, network analysis, bias analysis, epidemic modeling, and molecular epidemiology. This extensive research portfolio also provides investigators with access to curated research databases, organized specimen repositories, and field-tested study instruments. The Clinical Core will leverage these resources and expertise to enable the conduct of scientifically rigorous, multi-disciplinary TB research by early stage investigators and established investigators new to TB. In this way, the Core will catalyze the next generation of TB researchers, improve our understanding of TB, and support the needs of new and emerging science. In three integrated Aims, the Clinical Core will support high-impact research by facilitating access to diverse study populations at international and domestic clinical research sites through a comprehensive program that will introduce, establish, and nurture relationships between TRAC investigators, our collaborating partners, and early-stage and established investigators new to TB. The Core will provide consultation and training to investigators undertaking new clinical, epidemiologic, or translational research in TB through end-to- end support for study planning, implementation, and dissemination. The Core will develop a centralized repository of research data and associated Mtb isolates and specimens that links with the Basic Science Core biorepository, providing numerous opportunities for innovative clinical and translational analyses. The long- term goal of the Core is to cultivate a robust TB clinical research environment that is accessible, impactful, and collaborative to grow the pool of TB investigators conducting transformative research within the TRAC.