CTRC Core

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Clinical and Translational Research Core (CTRC) The Clinical and Translational Research Core (CTRC) provides the infrastructure for neurodegenerative disease (NDD) clinical research within the Center for Neurodegenerative and Translational Neuroscience (CNTN). In Phase 1, the Core recruited, characterized, and retained a clinical cohort consisting of more than 190 “deeply phenotyped” research participants across five diagnostic groups: mild cognitive impairment (MCI), mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) with no cognitive impairment (PD-NC), PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), and cognitively normal controls (CNC). Data from this cohort directly supported the research goals of 5 projects in Phase 1, as well as several other collaborations. In Phase 2, the core will extend the study up to ten years. As in Phase 1, the CTRC will provide each project leader with operational and regulatory support, project management, and research instruction that will help advance them toward the goal of independent funding. A notable enhancement of the Clinical Core in Phase 2 includes a focus on the role of neuroinflammation in NDD. The CTRC’s multimodal approach to neuroinflammation (including neuroimaging, blood-based biomarkers, genetics, and clinical assessments) represents one of the first comprehensive databases in the field of NDD. In addition to sustaining the clinical core, the CTRC will focus on increasing participation rates. Participation will be facilitated through the expansion of our education and outreach program. This program, which was implemented in Phase 1, is guided by input from a Community Advisory Board (CAB) and includes an innovative education and outreach website (Healthybrains.org). Finally, the core will also establish the first biobank in Southern Nevada at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) under the direction of Dr. Jefferson Kinney. This new resource will store, analyze, and provide expertise in the evaluation of non-clinical and clinical biospecimens. In addition to supporting the currently proposed projects, a number of additional COBRE and non-COBRE collaborators will access this valuable resource. The CTRC has formative and summative assessments embedded within that will ensure success in achieving its specific aims.