Clinical & Translational Studies Core

The Clinical & Translational Studies Core is the human-focused research and support platform of the Center for Immunometabolism (CIM) at the University of Pittsburgh. This core is dedicated to advancing patient-oriented research by integrating human biospecimens and clinical data into CIM’s immunometabolic investigations. Bridging the bench-to-bedside gap, the core provides the infrastructure and expertise necessary to translate basic discoveries into impactful clinical studies. It supports investigator-initiated translational research across cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory diseases, enabling precise, mechanism-linked human discovery.

Key capabilities include clinical study design and execution, regulatory and IRB support, recruitment of diverse human cohorts, and biospecimen collection linked to mechanistic and immunologic assays. The core also facilitates integration of laboratory findings with clinical metrics such as laboratory results, medication usage, and imaging data, ensuring translational relevance across studies.

Mission

To drive human-centered discovery by integrating biospecimens and clinical data into CIM’s research portfolio. By supporting the design and execution of translational studies, the core aims to:

• Enable rigorous testing of mechanistic hypotheses in patient populations
• Translate lab-based findings into human validation and clinical application
• Facilitate precision medicine approaches to cardiovascular and metabolic disease
• Create a bidirectional research ecosystem linking the clinic and the bench

Key Focus Areas

IRB & Regulatory Strategy
End-to-end support for IRB submissions, regulatory compliance, and clinical protocol design across UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh.

Participant Recruitment
EMR-based screening, targeted outreach, and coordination with specialty clinics to enroll diverse and disease-relevant human cohorts.

Biospecimen Collection & Processing
Acquisition and processing of blood and tissue samples for downstream immunometabolic assays.

Clinical Data Integration
Curated collection of clinical metrics to contextualize experimental findings.

Translational Study Execution
Design and implementation of observational studies and interventional trials to validate key mechanistic pathways in human populations.