Human Clinical Research Facility Groundbreaking Thursday

The College of Education and Human Development will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Human Clinical Research Facility at 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 21. The state-of-the-art facility, located on John Kimbrough Boulevard, will be a hub for human research collaboration at Texas A&M University.

Envisioned by the Department of Health & Kinesiology, it will house both the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity (CTRAL), headed by Dr. Nicolaas Deutz, and the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab (ESNL), headed by Dr. Richard Kreider.

The two-story, 21,518-square-foot building will feature a number of resources including:

· Clinical Research Unit consisting of a 12-bed overnight stay unit to run 24/7 human clinical trials, a nursing station, and a metabolic kitchen for nutritional studies.

· Body composition and Function Core for conducting clinical and exercise testing for comprehensive nutritional and functional assessment and follow-up.

· Rehabilitation Core to provide integrated nutrition and exercise rehabilitation programs for disease states under medical supervision. Workout station, stationary bikes, and state of the art aquatic treadmills are available for patient rehabilitation studies

· Compounding unit to prepare IV infusion solutions for human use

· Mass Spectrometry and Analytical Core for in depth analysis of metabolic and nutritional markers

· A conference room and seating areas to provide an open environment for education and collaboration

“Exercise and nutrition are essential elements in optimizing health and well-being,” said Health and Kinesiology Department Head Dr. Richard Kreider. This facility will provide a resource for researchers at Texas A&M University to identify ways to reduce risk and/or manage chronic disease and improve quality of life.”