Core Component D: Gastrdenterology, Pulmonary, and Nephrology Services The overall objective of Core D is to enhance the quality of the clinical research studies conductedthroughout the program project; it is critical to and highly integrated with the .
specific aims of Projects 1, 2, 3,5, and 6. Specifically, the Core staff are involved in initial protocol review and participate in the definition ofgastrointestinal, hepatic, pulmonary, and renal study endpoints, ensuring standardized patient evaluations,specimen collection, and interpretation. Both the Gastroenterology/Hepatology and Pulmonary programshave had a presence at the FHCRC for 30 years; their faculty, research nurses, and technicians have astheir sole activity the care of transplant patients and support of FHCRC research activities. The addition ofNephology services broadens the Core services provided to Project investigators. Both acute and chronickidney disease affect the outcome of patients enrolled in protocols described in this grant. The personnel of this Core have extensive experience in evaluating organ dysfunction in patientsundergoing hematopoietic cell transplant. Through the organization of the Core, highly accurate data aresupplied to investigators at a cost saving because of economies of scale. Facilities include in-patient andout-patient endoscopy suites, dedicated subspecialty clinic areas for transplant patients, a PulmonaryFunction Laboratory specifically for transplant patients, and centralized computer systems for access to andstorage of clinical and research data. The Core staff have an ongoing and very effective interaction withBiostatistics (Core A), Pathology (Core B), Microbiology and Virology (Core C), and Long-term Follow-up(Core F) faculty, staff, and laboratories. Working closely with transplant physicians and investigators, theCore members have developed large cross-relational databases generated from both research and clinicalassessments. This database has become an extremely valuable resource for retrospective analysis andhypothesis testing and is highly integrated with Biostatistics so that data are available to all FHCRCinvestigators. This Core provides state-of-the art care for patients being treated for their underlying leukemia.Relevance to public health: The projects described in this grant are intended to cure cancer, specificallycancers, involving the blood, commonly known as leukemias. The methods that will be used to cureleukemia may have side effects that involve the gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, and kidneys. This Corecomponent has as its goal the prevention and treatment of these side-effects.
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