The University of Missouri Clinical & Translational Science Units join scientific discovery with patient care by supporting research participants, participants who are also patients, healthy volunteers, clinical research and trial staff and researchers to create a cutting-edge team of experts. Clinical trials are research studies that are carefully designed to answer questions about the safety and effectiveness of medical treatments for illness and injuries.

These treatments could be drugs, devices, types of exercise, nutritional regimens, or mental health therapies. The studies may test new treatments or compare existing treatments to determine which works best. The University of Missouri has more than 500 clinical trials in the process of improving health and quality of life.

The CTSU is comprised of two wings (east and west) and offers full clinical research trial and study coordination services, assistance with clinical research procedures or components of a project, clinical research space to conduct studies, research specific laboratory specimen collection and processing for central lab, data collection, data entry and reporting, assistance with regulatory compliance and expertise and guidance for a successful conduction of clinical trials research. The dynamic offerings of each location (offered by one team) creates opportunities for existing core basic science and clinical science researchers, including drug and device development teams, to link with clinicians and patients and translate scientific discoveries into clinical applications through all phases of clinical trials.

The west unit is located on the fifth floor of MU’s University Hospital and School of Medicine and is ideally positioned to serve as a bridge between clinical medicine and biomedical science. The location is easily accessible by patients and volunteers, as well as scientists and clinicians throughout the University of Missouri’s schools, centers, and network of hospitals and clinics. The facility maintains all necessary features to facilitate clinical research programs, including inpatient rooms and facilities for overnight stays, ambulatory examination rooms, a laboratory for sample processing, a metabolic kitchen to support nutrition studies, a general laboratory, a DEXA machine, and various meeting and study workspaces.

The east unit is located on the third floor of MU’s Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building. It offers expanded services to include three procedure rooms, seven examination rooms, dedicated infusion bays, Vyntus Body pulmonary function equipment, CSMI Norm Isokinetic System, QMA Muscle Strength and Fatigue Assessment equipment, state-of-the-art exercise facility equipped with lockers and showers, laboratory space, dietetics and nutrition space, a DEXA machine, consultation rooms and a study team workspace.

The CTSU Team

The CTSU is comprised of a large team of clinical research professionals with vast experience in conducting clinical research projects and clinical trials, many of which hold national clinical research professional certifications. The team involved in carrying out clinical research activity includes five clinical research nurses, four clinical research coordinators, a clinical research lab technician, and two clinical research administrative professionals. In addition to coordinating clinical research projects and trials, the team collaborates with clinical research investigators and staff throughout the MU system to support our clinical research endeavors.