Mission:
The Office for Clinical and Translational Research’s mission is to provide clinical investigators and sponsors with comprehensive support services, research tools, personnel and facilities to conduct or facilitate pediatric and adult clinical research studies.
Overview:
Thank you for your interest in the Office for Clinical and Translational Research (OCTR) of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center/Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation (Cincinnati Children’s). Cincinnati Children’s is one of the nation’s top pediatric academic medical centers with more than 70 years of experience in patient care and research (Phase I - IV clinical studies). The faculty and staff of Cincinnati Children’s routinely conduct quality research in all the major pediatric subspecialties (as well as some select adult cancer and vaccine studies Phase I-IV) conforming to all regulatory requirements in an efficient and fiscally sound manner. Cincinnati Children’s conducts more than 1,000 industry, investigator-initiated and National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored clinical studies annually. Its renowned research staff attracts millions of dollars in research funding, and private and corporate donations each year.
Cincinnati Children’s highlights from fiscal year 2008
include:
- $231 allocated to biomedical research
- $131 million awarded in research grants and contracts
- $101.7 million in NIH research grant funding received, making
Cincinnati Children’s the second highest recipient of such funding
among comprehensive pediatric centers
- $8.1 million awarded in industry research grants and
contracts
Cincinnati Children’s is an international leader in improving
child healthcare dating back to its start in 1883. Cincinnati
Children’s Research Foundation, owned and operated by Cincinnati
Children’s, investigates a wide variety of childhood and adult
illnesses and offers patients access to leading-edge treatments.
Historically, the Research Foundation investigators have made major
contributions to the advancement of pediatric medicine since it
opened in 1931. Achievements by Cincinnati Children's
researchers include such breakthrough discoveries as the Sabin oral
vaccine, the first practical heart-lung machine that made
open-heart surgery possible, and the discovery of the key
ingredients of the surfactant preparation used throughout the world
to save the lives of thousands of premature infants each year. More
recently, Cincinnati Children’s researchers were responsible for
the discovery and testing of a vaccine (Rotarix) that prevents
rotavirus infection, which kills half a million children throughout
the world each year.
Meeting Your Clinical Studies Needs Through the OCTR
Clinical Study Support Services
The OCTR of Cincinnati Children’s offers
a comprehensive research support program to assist you with your
clinical studies. The OCTR assists sponsors and investigators to
place, coordinate and/or facilitate pediatric or adult clinical
clinical studies conducted at inpatient and outpatient Cincinnati
Children’s facilities. The OCTR understands sponsors’ needs and is
committed to conducting clinical studies with heightened attention
to time constraints and budgets. Annually, Cincinnati Children’s
has more than 1000 investigator-initiated, industry- and
federally-sponsored active IRB protocols in many of the major
sub-specialty areas.
The OCTR has access to all Cincinnati Children’s therapeutic divisions as well as collaborating with other Cincinnati Children’s research centers of expertise to meet your study needs. Some of those centers include the Cincinnati Center for Clinical Research (CCCR), the Clinical Translational Research Center (CTRC), the Gamble Program for Clinical Studies and Translational Research Support Services.
CCCR
The CCCR’s mission is to provide sponsors and researchers with
the scientific tools and facilities to conduct today’s clinical
research studies. The CCCR is a 53,500 square foot facility
operated by Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation and dedicated
to the support of clinical research studies for both children and
adults. While Cincinnati Children’s primary focus remains in
pediatric care, education, and research, the CCCR was created to
support both pediatric and adult (Phase I-IV) clinical research
studies. The CCCR is part of a $5 million refurbishing and
remodeling project included on Cincinnati Children’s Oak Campus,
which is predominantly devoted to research. The research facility
includes an outpatient clinic with 20 exam rooms and an
extended-stay adult unit with 36 beds.
CTRC
The Clinical Translational Research Center (CTRC), formerly the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), is based at Cincinnati Children’s and provides resources to perform high-quality, patient-oriented research internally and at various health care venues in the community. Some of these resources include: a 12-bed inpatient/12-room outpatient (including 4 beds for sleep research) – a 11,000 sq. ft. unit on the Cincinnati Children’s main campus supporting research in children and adults, and a 36-bed inpatient/18-room outpatient, 53,500 sq. ft. Cincinnati Center for Clinical Research (CCCR) on Cincinnati Children’s Oak Campus. A 3,000 sq. ft. satellite location at the Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center includes 2 inpatient beds with cardiac monitoring capabilities, 4 outpatient rooms, and 3 procedure rooms. Planned additional services include “scatter bed” support and broader outpatient support beyond the GCRC to include University and Holmes Hospitals, the Barrett Cancer Center, the Drake Center rehabilitation hospital, and community hospitals. Core services are offered in biochemistry, body composition, behavioral science and bionutrition.
Gamble Program for Clinical Studies
The Gamble Program for Clinical Studies/Division of Infectious
Diseases is one of only seven National Institutes of Health,
Vaccine Trial and Evaluation Units in the nation. The focus of the
Gamble Program is the treatment and prevention of diseases caused
by a variety of viruses, including those that cause
life-threatening vomiting and diarrhea (such as rotavirus),
respiratory infections (such as influenza) and sexually transmitted
disease (such as genital herpes). In the past 25 years, the Gamble
Program has successfully completed more than 200 clinical studies,
bringing us closer to preventing influenza, rotavirus, herpes virus
infections, pertussis and aiding in our fight against agents that
might be used in bioterrorism attacks. Their major accomplishment
to date is the licensure of a rotavirus vaccine developed by Gamble
researchers that could prevent more than 500,000 deaths every year.
The ongoing efforts of the program focus on finding new approaches
to treating and preventing new and old diseases in both children
and adults.
Translational Research Support Services
The OCTR assists researchers with a wide variety of needs related to investigator-initiated Investigational New Drug (IND) filings with FDA and preclinical research. Services include assisting investigators with the design of Phase I investigator-initiated clinical studies, submission of protocol/informed consent to local and federal regulatory bodies, completion and filing of Investigational New Drug (IND) applications, organization of regulatory documents, protocol review and monitoring, internal and external audit assistance, biostatistical support, creation of a data safety monitoring plan, management of the data safety monitoring boards, recruitment of human subjects, obtaining proper consent/assent, and data management and analysis. OCTR staff oversees clinical data collection, tracking and reporting to local and federal agencies. In addition, the OCTR assists investigators in establishing and maintaining biological sediment repositories with the use of the proprietary specimen repository database linked to a protocol management system termed Protocol Manager (PM) and Biological Specimen Tracking System (BSTS). Both disease-specific and normal donor registries have been developed. The normal donor protocols include the collection of umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood, G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) and bone marrow that are available to laboratory scientists.
In addition to its internal professional staff and research facility resources, Cincinnati Children’s has links to a number of large networks including cystic fibrosis, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, hepatology, neonatology, rheumatology and sickle cell. It is also linked to private practice physicians and practices in Greater Cincinnati (including the practice-based research network of more than 30 practices, Cincinnati Pediatric Research Group). Cincinnati Children's also has service connections with other regional pediatric care facilities, as well as 18 primary care facilities and outpatient treatment satellites, all of which provide pediatric sub-specialty care.
OCTR’s Clinical Research Study Credentials
Clinical Research Staff
- Experienced investigators to conduct sponsor designed clinical
studies
- More than 450 Cincinnati Children’s/University of Cincinnati
College of Medicine investigators
- All major medical and surgical subspecialties
- Expert faculty and staff for protocol/product consultation
- Research pharmacists experienced with investigational
drugs
- More than 200 experienced study coordinators
- Certified study coordinators: Association of Clinical Research
Professionals (ACRP) and Society of Clinical Research Associates
(SoCRA)
Study Planning
- Knowledgeable in study design to meet the needs of
investigators and sponsors
Contract/Budget
- Experience in creating and negotiating contracts and
budgets
Quality Protocol Conduct
- Compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) and Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) requirements for Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
study conduct
- On-site IRB with weekly scheduled meetings
- Experienced regulatory affairs coordinator to maintain
regulatory documents both during and after study completion
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) consistent with regulatory
requirements
- Investigator and coordinator training in GCP and research study
management with CEU and CME credits
- In-house compliance quality review (audits) of ongoing
studies
- Centralized scheduling of principal investigator meetings, site
assessment and initiation meetings and study monitoring visits
- Study report preparation and submission
Participant Identification and Recruitment
- Full-time, experienced participant recruiters working with a
full-complement of Cincinnati Children’s marketing and public
relations staff
- Access to large, diverse pediatric and adult populations
throughout the region, including Southwestern Ohio, Southeastern
Indiana and Northern Kentucky
- Volunteer and past study participant database
Research Facilities - 1,000,000 square feet
- Extensive clinical and academic research facilities
- Comprehensive on-site laboratories
(
www.cincinnatichildrens.org/labs)
- Central Laboratory
- Laboratory of Applied Pharmacokinetics and Therapeutic Drug
Management
- Laboratory for Specialized Clinical Studies
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory
- On-site investigational pharmacies
- Monitor rooms, pediatric- and adult-friendly subject
exam/treatment rooms and waiting areas
- Convenient parking
Data Management and Reports
- Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics providing statistical
and data analysis support
- Ethically-produced, high-quality, clinical and research
data
- Report and manuscript writing submission and
publication
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is a 511 registered-bed inpatient and outpatient facility. It is one of the largest pediatric treatment facilities in the country. The medical center is located approximately three miles from downtown Cincinnati and about sixteen miles (25 minutes) from the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, a Delta Airlines hub. Cincinnati Children’s is in close proximity to comfortable hotel accommodations within a five-block area, as well as a short distance from downtown Cincinnati hotels.
More than 100 therapeutic areas including:
Office for Clinical and Translational Research
Michael Spigarelli, MD, PhD, medical director
Phone: (513) 636-3232
E-mail:
michael.spigarelli@cchmc.org
Melinda Muenich, RN, MBA, business
director
Phone: (513) 636-7130
E-mail:
melinda.muenich@cchmc.org
Jackie Hullfish, BS, regulatory affairs
coordinator
Phone: (513) 636-5872
E-mail:
jackie.hullfish@cchmc.org
Mark Schuller, MA, marketing and recruiting
manager
Phone: (513) 636-0314
E-mail:
mark.schuller@cchmc.org
Pamela Jordan, BS, contracts and budgets
specialist
Phone: (513) 636-3203
E-mail:
pamela.jordan@cchmc.org
Steve Hope, contracts and budgets
specialist
Phone: (513) 803-0772
Email:
stephen.hope@cchmc.org
Cincinnati Children’s recruits pediatric and adult participants from the Greater Cincinnati area including eight counties. As Greater Cincinnati’s only pediatric hospital, Cincinnati Children’s serves one of every four families in Southwestern Ohio, Southeastern Indiana and Northern Kentucky. Cincinnati Children’s patient racial profile includes 19.1% African-American, .9% Asian, 59.4% Caucasian, 1.6% Hispanic, 2.2 multiracial and 16.8% other. Cincinnati Children’s cares for patients from most of the 50 states and countries around the world with more than 900,000 patient encounters every year.
Admissions (FY 2008)
| Admissions |
27,392 |
| Emergency Department visits |
93,456 |
| Beds in service |
511 |
| Patient encounters |
925,944 |
Outpatient Visits (FY 2008)
| Including outpatient surgery and urgent care |
787,365 |
Surgical Procedures (FY 2008)
| Inpatient |
6,323 |
| Outpatient (includes satellites) |
22,845 |
Transplants (FY 2008)
| Stem Cell |
81 |
| Heart |
4 |
| Liver |
21 |
| Kidney |
10 |
| Small Bowel |
0 |
| Multi-Visceral |
16 |