The overall objective of the Human Phenotyping Core (HPC) of MNORC is to enhance and expand the research capabilities of MNORC investigators performing clinical and translational studies related to nutritional interventions, obesity, and/or obesity-related disorders in humans. The HPC accomplishes this goal by: 1) providing consultation services to clinical and translational investigators regarding appropriate assessment, testing, and/or intervention approaches for their studies, 2) offering expertise and infrastructure for sophisticated and standardized physiologic testing of human subjects, 3) providing services to directly assist researchers to conduct their nutritional and/or physical activity/exercise interventions in human subjects, and 4) assisting in the development of new techniques or acquire new technologies for human metabolic phenotyping. In addition to performing a wide array of relatively ?standard? phenotypic measurements (e.g., anthropometric measures, blood pressure, fasting blood work, oral glucose tolerance, nutritional and physical activity assessments, and aerobic fitness assessments) the HPC also offers several more involved procedures to more thoroughly assess the metabolic phenotype (e.g., hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, isotope-tracer metabolic studies, resting energy expenditure, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue biopsies). Before beginning their studies, MNORC investigators may consult with expert HPC personnel to receive insights on how available methodologies may help them to more directly test their hypotheses, as well as to enlighten them on ways they can expand their research questions using the tools made available to them through the Core. HPC personnel also consult with MNORC investigators to help optimize their study designs and their research intervention strategies/approaches. The HPC also directly assists MNORC investigators to conduct their obesity/nutritional interventions by providing services such as: nutritional consultations with study participants, supervision of exercise training interventions, assessment of physical activity and dietary behaviors during an intervention, as well as assistance with conducting interventions specifically tailored to each research participant. Overall, the services of the Human Phenotyping Core provide well-controlled and standardized phenotypic testing, state-of-the-art techniques for ?deeper? phenotype assessment, as well as assistance to conduct well-controlled research interventions, all of which greatly enhance and expand on existing approaches used by researchers in the areas of nutrition and obesity.
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