PLANNING GRANT FOR MULTIPURPOSE CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER

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The goal of this proposal is to create an interactive clinical research program through a planning process that will identify, evaluate, and select projects for the Johns Hopkins Multipurpose Clinical Research Center (MCRC). We will also establish research cores that are essential to the support of these projects during the planning year. The specific aims of the proposal are: (1) to develop the organizational infrastructure that will allow new interactive clinical research programs, thus forming a matrix organization that facilitates synergy between working groups of investigators; (2) to develop a biostatistical/research design core that will assist investigators in planning new projects; (3) to establish and manage a clinical database accessible for research in the rheumatic diseases; and (4) to establish a biological core facility to support clinical investigations. The Johns Hopkins MCRC will exploit the strengths of existing disease-specific Centers of Excellence in scleroderma, lupus, vasculitis and inflammatory arthritis. In addition, we are forming an innovative Center for the community-based study of health problems in minorities, with a focus on the rheumatic diseases. This Center would translate research from the current Centers of Excellence into enhancing patient care in the community, as well as providing a mechanism to conduct population-based research. Research themes are selected to use our patient research base and to provide the opportunity for novel research in the rheumatic diseases. These research themes include (1) the role of the autoimmune process in women with rheumatic disease; (2) vascular disease in scleroderma, lupus, vasculitis and arthritis; (3) the lung disease in our patient cohorts;, and (4) rheumatic disease in the urban African-Americans and the community. The MCRC will promote synergy among existing programs and investigators, disseminate the Center's activities to other programs and investigators, encourage young clinical scholars to engage in research in these conditions, and extend resources of the MCRC beyond Johns Hopkins.