Pediatric Clinical Research Unit:

The Pediatric Clinical Research Unit is a division of the Children’s Foundation Research Center. The mission of the PCRU is to facilitate clinical research by providing the infrastructure and clinical expertise for the conduct of therapeutic, pharmaceutical, and disease-oriented research in children. The PCRU is a resource for pediatric investigators at LBCMC/UTHSC and in the community. The PCRU provides support for clinical research, industry trials, nursing research and community health promotion. The unit occupies 1950 square feet of space in the Physician Office Building. It includes an examination room, conference room, and laboratory. The PCRU offers the following services to researchers: IRB preparation and submission, routing of proposals for administrative approval, protocol design, subject recruitment and retention, clinical measurements, laboratory processing, assistance with grant preparation, and GCRC (General Clinical Research Center) submission. Since 1999, more than 5,500 subjects have been entered into our research studies. We currently have 31 actively enrolling studies. Our goal is to become the foundation for the research vision that is shared by UTHSC and LBCMC. Having as many investigators as possible use our services in varying capacities based on their funding is the goal of the PCRU.

The PCRU facilitates basic research efforts, providing the professional infrastructure and clinical expertise to support the Children’s Foundation Research Center/ University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in the development of a major pediatric research center.

The PCRU’s three areas of interest include:

• The goal of Pharmacokinetic research is to increase the number and variety of drugs that are FDA approved for use in children. This work is part of a collaborative effort with other research centers, to establish dosing guidelines for the use of drugs in Pediatrics.

• Nursing Research encompasses both clinical and basic research to establish a scientific basis for the care of pediatric patients Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center. It is our vision that the support of nursing research will establish best practice guidelines as well as nourish and support future generations of researchers.

• Clinical Research involves basic bench research and clinical research (human subjects). Translational research (bench to bedside) combines both types to provide the scientific data required to improve the care of children by utilizing evidence-based medicine.

The Facility

The PCRU is located in the Physician’s Office Building at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center. The newly developed facility combines the visions, expertise, and resources of the former office of Clinical Research and the Pediatric Pharmacokinetics Research Unit (PPRU).

The PCRU provides
:
• Contract Preparation and Support
• IRB Submission
• Data Management
• Subject Recruitment
• Protocol Monitoring Procedures
• Phlebotomy Services
• Administrative Support

Faculty Personnel