Clinical Research Unit (CRU)

Regulatory Biomedical Services and Support

The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) at the Alberta Diabetes Institute offers comprehensive services and support for Phase II-IV trials for both industry sponsored trials and for academia. Experienced staff can provide complete study management and coordination from study startup and recruitment to protocol execution through to data management, close-out and file archiving. Investigators managing their own studies can also access clinical facilities and services, including administrative support; access to clinical  examination rooms; pharmacy storage (monitored 24/7); phlebotomy; and, patient recruitment via CRU’s contact registry. The facility also houses body composition and metabolic assessment for truly holistic diabetes clinical studies.

As part of the U of A Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, the CRU works with research clinicians and investigators from numerous backgrounds, and in combination with Alberta Health Services it is one of Canada's largest integrated academic health regions for conducting efficient clinical research.The CRU is in close proximity to the University Hospital for patient/physician access and bio-sample transport.

The CRU is a unique, multidisciplinary facility that allows traditional biomedical intervention studies as well as nutritional research and metabolic and body composition analysis. Supervised by Dr. Vince Rogers, the CRU facilitates investigators to conduct regulatory-driven clinical trials in support of innovative therapies and translation of these towards patient use.

Facility and Equipment

The CRU at the Alberta Diabetes Institute is located on the second floor of the Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation. The multidisciplinary unit is an 8000 square feet facility housing cutting edge equipment including:

• Five private clinical exam rooms
• 3 bed open day ward
• Blood processing area
• Kitchen/dining room
• Resting metabolic assessment
• Whole body calorimetry (One of only 2 in Canada)
• Air displacement plethysmography (BodPod)
• Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)

The CRU serves as a place where basic and clinical scientists work together to perform studies that incorporate translational research (the process of making research findings benefit patients) resulting in meaningful health outcomes. The CRU, along with skilled researchers and coordinators, will provide a welcoming and proficient setting for participants to volunteer in groundbreaking research studies. 

Research Studies in the Clinical Research Unit

If you are planning a research study in the Clinical Research Unit, please complete this form CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDY :: Online Posting Form (PDF) and submit it to the appropriate Research Ethics Board (REB) for approval. Upon approval, your research study will be added to the CRU Participate in a Research Study database and shared on social media (if requested).

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