The Baylor-UTHouston CFAR Clinical Research Core has been extensively reorganized and redesignedsince the previous application. The Baylor and UTHouston arms are now well-integrated, the scope of the Core'spurpose has been broadened to better support CFAR goals, and the Core has assumed a proactive approach tofacilitating interdisciplinary HIV/AIDS translational research. The Co-Directors now are Dr. William T. Shearer(Pediatric Component) and Dr. Roberto C. Arduino (Adult Component). The revised goals of the Core are to: (1)Provide integrated access to pediatric and adult patient HIV-infected populations and clinical materials; (2)Facilitate novel research, targeted research projects, and Scientific Programs in critical areas of HIV/AIDSresearch; and (3) Establish community outreach and educational programs to expand CFAR researchopportunities. The sources of well-characterized patient populations and clinical materials are the Pediatric HIVResearch Center at Texas Children's Hospital and the Houston AIDS Research Team sites where adult patients areseen: Thomas Street Clinic (Baylor and UTHouston), the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Baylor), and theMontrose Clinic (private sector). More than 100 children and 7000 adults are followed; NIH-funded HIV researchprograms support clinical studies on these patients (PACTG, WITS, and CPCRA).Core services include providing information on patient populations and assisting with procurement ofspecimens. A Core Oversight Committee reviews and prioritizes requests (concept sheets) for access to patients orspecimens. The Core collects, processes, and stores patient research materials for approved studies. The Core willassist investigators in gaining access to the WITS national database and its centralized specimen repository.Locally, specimens from selected adult patients are banked for research studies.The Core provides crucial support to new efforts to target translational research into areas that are gaps at ourCFAR and that encourage interactions among CFAR cores and CFAR members at Baylor and UTHouston.Several recent examples are described in which the Core fostered innovative collaborative studies. The Core willplay a key role in the development of the new CFAR Scientific Program on 'HIV and Coinfections'. The Coreworks with community groups, sponsors clinical conferences, and disseminates information to promote CFARresearch opportunities. Outcomes measures will be used to assess the success of the Core each year.
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