Clinical and Translational Science Unit (CTSU)

The Clinical and Translational Science Unit (CTSU) provides the Kansas City region with a centralized resource for supporting clinical and translational research.  It will accelerate research discoveries and their application resulting in improved patient care and advances in public health.  The CTSU is housed in KUMC's new, state-of-the-art, free-standing clinical research building in Fairway, Kan.  This new facility is a result of the Johnson County Education and Research Triangle (JCERT) Initiative.  The CTSU  provides a large menu of coordinated resources to investigators at all affiliate institutions.  (This new model is intended to transform the relationship between the region's academic institutions by offering an integrated research space to all investigators at network institutions.

CTSU Resources. The CTSU is staffed by experienced RNs and medical assistants.   Research nurses provide routine care, follow protocol procedures, assist with special procedures, perform venipuncture and complex timed procedures, and record all research data in study flow sheets.  The Exercise Physiology Laboratory is a heavily used research resource used for assessment of aerobic fitness, resting metabolic rate, body composition and bone density testing with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans, and other tests.  The commercial-quality Metabolic Kitchen is fully equipped to provide meals required by study protocols--including regular, therapeutic, modified, and calculated and weighed research meals.

The Frontiers Research Participant Registry is a collection of patients interested in being contacted regarding future research studies.  Qualified researchers with HSC approved protocols can use this recruitment tool to obtain contact information for the individuals who match the criteria for their studies.  To learn more about how to search for participants, please review the training materials.

Once you have the required documentation and the search completed within HERON, you can request a patient set from the Data Request Committee (DRC) by completing this form.

To apply for access to CTSU resources, protocols may be submitted to the Scientific Advisory Review Committee (SARC) for approval. Click here to initiatie the CTSU (formerly GCRC) application.

SARC Members Area

Collaboration with Regional Academic Network Institutions. An important Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (HICTR) goal is to stimulate robust research collaborations among investigators throughout our network institutions.  CTSU resources are available to support investigators from KU and now also from network institutions.  The CTSU, located in the new Clinical Research Building, will be centrally located and easily accessible to investigators from all area institutions.  We are capitalizing on this taxpayer-funded resource to transform the relationships between regional institutions and create a new model supporting a more collaborative and integrated approach to clinical and translational research across the region. Our network institutions include:

University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC): UMKC has three primary teaching hospitals: 

• St. Luke's Health System
• Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
• Truman Medical

Kansas City Veteran's Administration Medical Center (KCVAMC): The KCVAMC is a teaching hospital for both KU and UMKC. 

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB)