GENERAL CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER

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EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) proposes a General Clinic Research Center to provide centralized support for clinical/translational research and to expand clinical research training and career development programs. A not-for-profit academic medical center, CCF comprises a central campus in Cleveland(ineluding the Lerner Research Institute (LRI) and regional health centers) and two integrated medical campuses in Florida. The rapid growth of basic and translational research over the past 15 years led to a structural reorganization of academic activities in 2001. An institutional division was created to further develop clinical/translational research programs, and a GCRC was identified as a critical need. Rapid growth in sponsored research together with the strategic importance assigned to clinical research makes the proposed GCRC essential for the CCF academic agenda. The 54 submitted projects use outpatient, inpatient, laboratory, and biostatistical support for patient-oriented research faculty. They represent a wide cross-section of departments within Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, and LRI Divisions. Collaborative interdisciplinary research is a CCF hallmark; thus we have emphasized translational and collaborative studies within this GCRC. Areas of investigation include cancer, pulmonary disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pediatrics, arthritis, collagen vascular disease, inflammation, women's health, pain, septic shock, bioterrorism, and biomedical engineering. GCRC investigators will benefit from such major CCF support as allocated/renovated space, large programs to fund clinical research pilot projects and clinical investigator career development, and a range of scientific core laboratory facilities, many already in place. The new Tissue Processing Laboratory core will standardize and centralize clinical research tissue aquisition, processing, coding, and storage, resulting in substantial cost-efficiency and quality improvements. The GCRC will serve as a critical focus for expanding the training of clinical investigators using a unique 'Mentoring Academy' comprising staff conducting successful clinical research programs. The GCRC is central to our vision for expanded clinical research. It was integrated with our new Center for Clinical Research, ensuring that the GCRC serves as a catalyst for clinical research growth institution-wide. The GCRC, the centerpiece of our clinical research expansion, is critical to our goal of excellence in clinical research.