Developing the WTCRF in Cambridge: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and a Nutrition Resource & Appetite Laboratory

剑桥的一个由惠康信托基金资助的临床研究设施（WTCRF）已经运行了好几年，占用率很高（75%）。已经开展了200多个项目，从实验医学（对患者进行深入调查，从而了解疾病机制）到治疗试验。肥胖症、糖尿病和胰岛素抵抗在世界范围内流行，剑桥大学的国际公认的研究项目研究肥胖症和胰岛素抵抗的遗传形式、人口糖尿病、儿童糖尿病、危重疾病和代谢以及代谢储存疾病。独特的是，我们的WTCRF包含对此类研究至关重要的专业技术（例如能量消耗测量），也是治疗试验的场所(例如替代肥胖的瘦素（食欲激素）或储存疾病的酶；预防糖尿病)。磁共振波谱（MRS）技术允许对组织中的物质和代谢途径进行非侵入性和非放射性测量，大大提高了对包括糖尿病在内的代谢紊乱的认识。在扩大的现有成像设施中，支持一台核磁共振扫描仪和专业支持人员，将大大增加我们的代谢研究项目，通过核磁共振测量发现疾病机制并监测试验中的治疗反应。能量（食物）摄入量在专业（如肥胖）或一般临床研究中都是一个重要的变量，而现有的用于测量能量（食物）摄入量的crf技术还很初级。增加CRF营养资源（工作人员，饮食厨房）将使研究对象的饮食摄入标准化或以确定的方式改变。“食欲实验室”，或者是测量饮食行为特征的移动设备，对于研究肥胖和其他食欲失调状态至关重要。

A Wellcome Trust-funded Clinical Research Facility (WTCRF) in Cambridge has been inoperation for several years at a high level (75%) of occupancy. Over 200 projects have beenundertaken, ranging from experimental medicine (where intensive patient investigation leads tounderstanding of disease mechanisms) to trials of treatment. Obesity, Diabetes and InsulinResistance are epidemic worldwide and internationally-recognised research programs inCambridge investigate genetic forms of obesity and insulin resistance, population diabetes,diabetes in childhood, critical illness & metabolism and metabolic storage diseases. Uniquely,our WTCRF contains specialised technologies (e.g.energy expenditure measurement) that arevital for such research and is also the locus for treatment trials (e.g replacement of leptin (anappetite hormone) in obesity or enzymes in storage diseases; prevention of diabetes).Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), technology which allows substances and metabolicpathways in tissues to be measured non-invasively and non-radioactively, has significantlyadvanced knowledge of metabolic disorders including diabetes. Support for an MRS scannertogether with specialist support staff, located within an expanded,existing imaging facility, willadd significantly to our metabolic research programs,with MRS measurements discoveringdisease mechanisms & monitoring treatment response in trials. Energy (food) intake is animportant variable in both specialised (e.g. obesity) or general clinical research, and existingCRF technologies for measuring this are rudimentary. Addition of a CRF Nutrition Resource(staff, diet kitchen) will enable dietary intake of research subjects to be either standardised oraltered in a defined way. An “appetite laboratory”, or mobile apparatus to measurecharacteristics of eating behaviour, is essential for research of obesity and other appetitedisorderedstates.