emory center for aids research cores

Clinical Research Core

The Clinical Research Core supports clinical studies and translational studies in broad areas of HIV research including immunology, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention.

The Core supports research through four clinical sites that, collectively see roughly 11,000 patients living with HIV and 2,000 HIV- volunteers, constituting one of the largest CFAR-based HIV clinical research populations in the U.S.

The Clinical Research Core maintains an HIV Disease Registry and an HIV Specimen Repository. Through the Core, HIV researchers may request access to these resources as well as support with related data analysis. See below for more information on these services and learn more about the HIV Disease Registry here: http://it.emory.edu/ClinicalResearchData/data-sources/cfar.html

Services Offered by the Core

Consultation:

  • Consultation on best practices in health communications and study recruitment
  • Consultation on clinical research study design and data collection
  • Consultation and administrative support in seeking and maintaining regulatory approval for research in human subjects
Access to Clinical Research Space:

  • This includes equipment associated with patient assessments (blood pressure cuffs, scales, etc.) and Core personnel to assist study subjects locate the office(s) and exam room(s) being used for research.

Access to Shared Equipment:

  • Equipment for separating and cryopreserving biospecimens
    • Centrifuges
    • -70 and -150 degree Celsius freezers
    • cell counters

Access to Data:

Access to Materials:

  • Collection of biologic research specimens (PBMC, plasma, serum, swabs, cell pellet, breast milk, urine, hair, tears, lymph node, gut and rectal biopsies)
  • Clinical Research Registry and Linked Specimen Repository. To request any of the specimens listed below, complete the CFAR Specimen Request form > 
    • Stage of Infection:
      • HIV exposed
      • HIV uninfected
      • Acute HIV infection
      • Recent HIV infection
      • Long-term non-progressor
    • Virologic Control:
      • Elite controller
      • Viremic controller
    • Co-infections:
      • Acute Hepatitis B
      • Acute Hepatitis C
      • SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19
    • Treatment Status:
      • Anti-retroviral treatment naïve
      • Anti-retroviral treatment naïve, beginning therapy (with samples collected longitudinally while on therapy)
  • Support for Clinical Studies (including Clinical Trials):
    For early-stage investigators or investigators new to HIV:
    • Protocol design and writing
    • Regulatory and IRB application development, submission, and maintenance assistance
    • Research Match search of a clinical research registry to identify persons with HIV with specific characteristics as potential study participants—pulling from a pool of 1000s of potential participants living with HIV
      • Recruitment and enrollment of volunteers in clinical trials and studies (through ResearchMatch.org)
      • Phlebotomy and specimen collection, processing, inventory, storage, and shipping
      • Data collection, management and analysis
      • Study conduct (research nursing and oversight) and volunteer retention
    • Quality management for clinical research
      • Report and manuscript preparation
    • For established investigators with larger projects:
      • Study design assistance
      • Grant application collaboration
      • Recruitment of volunteers in clinical trials (through ResearchMatch.org)
      • Collaboration in conduct of funded projects

Research Support Services:

  • Hemapheresis clinical services ($1,160/event)
  • Leukaphresis processing ($2,246/event)
  • Phlebotomy and consent ($45/event)
  • Research recruitment clinical services ($35/hour)
  • Rectal tissue collection ($300/each)
  • Regulatory support ($40/hour)

Other Services:

  • Community engagement
  • Community education
  • Linkages to other potential data and specimen resources for HIV research studies (i.e. MACS-WIHS Combined Cohort Study, HIV research CABs, NA-ACCORD, ACTG, IMPAACT)
Training:

  • One-on-one training for junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, students, and research staff in the conduct of clinical research in HIV/AIDS
  • Training on the development of research protocols and funding applications for clinical research
  • Opportunities to present and get feedback on proposed and current research studies
    • Contact the Clinical Research Core to learn about the CFAR Translational Research Interdisciplinary Group (TRIG).

To request any of the services listed above, please complete an Emory CFAR service request form >

Core Leadership and Key Staff

Vincent Marconi, MD

Co-Director
Site Director, VA Medical Center

Igho Ofotokun, MD, MSc

Co-Director

Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, MD, MSc

Associate Director

Anandi Sheth, MD, MSc

Associate Director

Wendy Armstrong, MD

Site Director, Ponce Clinic

Nadine Rouphael, MD

Site Director, Hope Clinic

Kim Workowski, MD

Site Director, Emory Midtown

Divine McCaslin, DrPH, MPH

Program Manager, CFAR Clinical Core

Contact the Core

To contact the Core, reach out to Divine McCaslin.

Divine McCaslin, DrPH, MPH
Program Manager, Research Projects
Email: divine.c.mccaslin@emory.edu
Office Phone: 404.616.9330

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Contact Us

Center for AIDS Research at Emory University
1518 Clifton Rd, NE
R. Randall Rollins Building, R558
Mailstop: 1518-002-5CC
Atlanta, GA 30322-4201
404.727.2924  |  cfaradmin@emory.edu