The goals of the Clinical Core are to enhance the quality of AIDS research at CWRU and at collaborating centers by achieving the following specific aims: 1. Maintaining and expanding a comprehensive and accessible patient care database (the SIU database) that both facilitates clinical management and serves as a robust resource for clinical investigation. 2. Maintaining and expanding a specimen repository linked to the patient care database that provides researchers ready access to stored samples linked to a comprehensive patient care data set. 3. Capitalizing on the resources of the user-friendly SIU database, a clinical studies coordinator provides researchers access to patients pre-selected for interest and identified as eligible (through review of the SIU database) to participate in HIV clinical research through clinical trials or other research studies. The goal of this core is to facilitate clinical and translational research. The three key resources of this core facilitate research activities through seamless and rapid access to clinical information and clinical material. This clinical core is remarkable among HIV research facilities for the comprehensive and ready access that is provided to clinical samples, to interested patients and to readily accessible clinical data. The CFAR Clinical Core comprises three key, interrelated resources: CWRU/UHC CFAR SIU database, SIU specimen repository; and clinical studies access coordination. In the coming period, this core seeks to: 1. Test the feasibility of expanding the database resource to other developing nations in collaboration with the CWRU/UHC Ugandan Laboratory Core and the Epidemiology Biostatistics Core by establishing the CFAR Database in Kampala, Uganda. This project will also include the training of staff and investigators. 2. Increase the number of CWRU/UHC CFAR investigators and investigators at other CFARS and outside institutions who will utilize CFAR Clinical Core Resources through expanded outreach. 3. Help to build and lead the CFAR collaborative C-NICS project which is presently establishing a large centralized database and prospective cohort at 6 CFAR sites. 4. Expand the repository of viably cryopreserved PBMC to include annual storage of samples obtained from all consenting SIU patients.
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