Larner College of Medicine

Overview - CRC

The objective of the Clinical Research Center (CRC) is to provide scientists the infrastructure necessary for the efficient and productive conduct of high quality clinical research.

For information on conducting research at the CRC, please visit our CRC SharePoint site.

Services

Administration

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The Administrative staff is dedicated to coordinating all services, processes, and committees within the Center to promote the effectiveness, accessibility, and continued viability of the CRC. We are available to introduce you to the CRC, coordinate your application for use of the available services, work with you to find ways to accommodate needs that arise in the course of your research, and provide you with information about the CRC for your grant applications.

Nursing and Provider Support

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The Research Nurses at the CRC implement and carry out your project and care for your subjects. The unit, which has 6 multipurpose outpatient or extended stay rooms, is staffed according to need. The majority of research activity is performed Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 am and 3:30 pm. We provide staff during these hours. The weekend, evening and night shifts are staffed on an as needed basis; with advance notice, additional staffing may sometimes be arranged to accommodate reasonable protocol needs including CRC research needs in other hospital locations.

In addition, there is a Physician's Assistant who is available to assist in conduct of protocols and medical management of research subjects. This service is primarily for those investigators who hold degrees other than the M.D. degree.

Bionutrition

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CRC Bionutrition Services provides support to the investigator by offering a full-range of research nutrition methodologies.  The staff consists of a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a Research Nutrition Aide.

We offer a full range of nutritional methodologies to meet the needs of any research project.  These methods include, but are not limited to:

  • Nutrition Screening
  • Nutrition Assessment
  • Nutrition Education
  • Diet Analysis
  • Research Meal Production 

Research Core Services

Physiology Core
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The Physiology Core Laboratory at the CRC offers an extensive array of services with emphasis on the measurement of body composition, bone mineral density, energy expenditure, exercise capacity, muscle strength testing, and anthropometrics. A physiologist is available to discuss the detailed procedures you may be considering for your protocol and can assist with testing.

Physiology Core Services and Equipment 

  • DEXA
  • Maximal Oxygen Consumption
  • Cycle Ergometry
  • Skeletal Muscle Strength
  • Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
  • Anthropometrics

Imaging Core Facility
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Ultrasound: The CRC currently has one ultrasound unit that is available for research utilization.

GE Vivid 7 with multiple probes: This unit is state of the art for ultrasound imaging and specifically designed for cardiac and peripheral vascular imaging. Matric array probes are available for these activities including a Matrix 12 linear for peripheral vascular work and a Matrix 3 sector for cardiac evaluations. This unit can also be used for general abdominal as well as obstetric and gynecologic imaging.

Additional probes include a endovaginal (3-8 multiHz), small parts linear (10 mHz), curvilinear (2-5 multiHz) probes and 5 and 7 MHz sector probes .

GE Echopak Ultrasound Reader: The core facility includes a GE Echopak ultrasound reader with DICOM optical disk storage and off-line analysis.