Clinical Research Unit

The NCNPR conducts research involving human subjects for evaluation of biomedical or health-related outcomes with drugs and supplements in the Clinical Research Unit housed in the TCRC West Wing. This facility provides 10 patient bays with phlebotomy chairs, a private exam/procedure room, a nurses’ station and sample collection room to allow subject history, examination, drug administration, blood and urine collection, and sample processing. The unit is staffed by a full-time Research Nurse, and each study incorporates physician, pharmacist and laboratory personnel as needed. A Principal Investigator is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of each study.

Examples of studies that conducted in this unit might include:

• Evaluation of pharmacokinetics and metabolism of approved drugs
• Studies of dietary supplements or nutritional products that are already marketed, in order to evaluate their absorption, blood concentrations, pharmacokinetics or impact on physiological parameters
• Evaluation of drug-drug or drug-herb interactions
• Certain minimal risk phase 0 or phase 1 interventional studies
• Evaluation of physiological effects of other interventions such as exercise

All studies are approved individually by the UM Institutional Review Board in order to ensure protection of the privacy, rights and welfare of human subjects.