Core Lab Services

CTRC Core Laboratory Services support IRB-approved protocols with a wide range of analytical testing including chemical, hormone, metabolite, and immunological assays. CTRC Core Laboratories are CAP- and CLIA-accredited and provide trained personnel, reagents, equipment, and QC capabilities to conduct assays for research studies.

All services are provided as fee-for-service resources.

Adult CTRC Core Lab

Chemical and immunological assays, including peptide/hormone measures by RIA, ELISA, Chemiluminescence, and spectrophotometry; Processing of blood, urine, and saliva.

Adult CTRC Core Lab CAP Certification
Adult CTRC Core Lab CLIA Accreditation

Children’s Hospital Colorado CTRC Core Lab

Chemical and immunological assays including cytokine, Nephelometry, chemiluminescence, and spectrophotometry.

Processing of sputum, tracheal aspirates, and BAL fluids

CHCO CTRC Core Lab CAP Certification
CHCO CTRC Core Lab CLIA Accreditation

National Jewish Healt h CTRC Inflammation & Immunology Core Lab

Chemical and immunological assays, including RNA/DNA extractions, cell isolations (BAL, PBMC, others), serum and plasma extraction, cell culture, flow cytometry, ELISPOT, ELISA, LPT, sputum, differential cells count and more.

About the Nutrition Core

The Nutrition Core consists of scientists, registered dietitians, and food service professionals with extensive experience in nutrition and metabolism research. The Nutrition Core is available to provide expertise and assistance for planning and executing CTRC-approved nutrition-related clinical research protocols. All staff members have completed the Biomedical Researcher training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.

All staff members are also trained to plan, prepare, and distributed weighed, metabolic meals from our commercial research kitchen, which is located on the CU Anschutz Campus on the first floor of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. The kitchen and all staff designing and preparing diets are ServSafe® certified. Meals are prepared, stored, and shipped to CTRC sites for distribution as needed and are provided on a fee-for-service basis.

Nutrition Core Services

• Consultation on study design and methods to achieve specific dietary intervention targets (e.g., energy, single or multiple macro-or micronutrients and nutrient ratios, food grouping categories)
• Meal planning and dietary assessment using specialized dietary analysis software and food composition databases (e.g., ProNutra, Nutrition Data System for Research, MetabolicPro, FoodData Central)
  
• Design, preparation, measurement, and dispensation of protocol-specific meals, snacks, and/or single foods and beverages individualized for participant dietary preferences
  • Research diets include: standard meals and snack boxes, weighed meals, ad lib meals such as buffets, and study-specific foods and beverages
  • Research diets can be eaten in-house at inpatient or outpatient CTRC locations or packed "to-go" for pickup or courier service for delivery
• Weigh-backed to tabulate dietary intake based on visual inspection and weights or returned foods
• Dietary intake assessment (e.g., 24-hour recalls, written diet records, photographic food records)
• Measurement of hunger and satiety
• Anthropometric, growth, and body composition assessment (e.g., height, weight, skinfolds, waist and hip circumferences)
• Protocol-specific dietary counseling and research participant instruction
• Development of study-specific educational materials
• Design and product development for novel foods and diets
  

Helpful Links and Resources

• Overview and How-Tos: CTRC User Guide

• Diet Record Instructions:
  • Three-Day Diet Diary Instructions (Video)
  • Three-Day Diet Diary with Instructions
  • Photographic Diet Record Instructions

• Food Preferences Survey Links:
  • Standard
  • Caffeine-Free

• Dietary Assessment Method Selection: 
  • NCI Diet Assessment

Pricing

Scheduling with the Nutrition Core

• All requests for Nutrition Core services must be placed using CTRC Scheduler
• All requests for Nutrition Core must include the IRB number
• To ensure proper planning and food preparation, all Nutrition Core services must be scheduled at lease seven business days (10 calendar days) in advanced and submitted during regular business hours
  • If a request is made within seven business days of the visit, study team must contact the Nutrition Core directly via email to confirm availability
• To ensure food freshness and quality, the maximum number of diet days that can be picked up at one time is four days
• The diet pick up date must be no more than two days prior to the diet start date (excluding Friday pickups for Monday consumption)
• If a research participant is unable to make a scheduled pick-up, please alert the Nutrition Core staff as soon as possible by calling 303-724-1219
• It is important that research participants are able to contact their study PRA/coordinator whenever there is a scheduled diet pick-up in case there is a time-sensitive issue
  • Without this contact information, problems cannot be resolved as they arise
  • In a situation where this would require a change in diet, participants will be instructed to call/leave a message for the study PRA/coordinator who will reschedule the appointment.
  • Under these circumstances, the Nutrition Core cannot reschedule the participant without the standard notice (e.g., rescheduled date will need to be at least seven days after original date)

Cardiovascular BioImaging

The Cardiovascular BioImaging Core offers imaging techniques in vascular and cardiac ultrasound to provide a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular health in children and adults:

• Brachial artery endothelial function testing
• Arterial stiffness
• Intimal-medial thickness
• Real-time three-dimensional (3D/4D) echo technology
• Speckle tracking imaging that enables accurate measures regional and global cardiac function

Exam Types and Services

Echocardiogram (echo) - Comprehensive ultrasound imaging used to assess cardiac structure and function.

• Complete Echocardiogram - Utilizes 2D imaging, color Doppler, pulse wave Doppler and continuous wave Doppler to assess cardiac structure and function.
  

• Limited Echocardiogram - Utilizes only 2D imaging to assess the heart.
  

• Stress Echocardiogram - Utilizes ultrasound to assess cardiac structure and function pre and post exercise
  

• Specialized echo protocol - The core can follow study specific imaging manuals upon request.
  

FibroScan - Utilizes elastography to assess liver stiffness and fatty changes.

Carotid Intima-media thickness (cIMT) imaging: Utilizes 2D ultrasound to image the intimal layer of the common carotid artery.

Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD): Utilizes 2D ultrasound and pulsed wave Doppler to image the brachial artery pre and post occlusion. FMD with nitroglycerin is available upon request.

Definity - Ultrasound image enhancer that is administered via IV to better visualize the left ventricle.

* Please reach out directly to cctsibioimaging@cuanschutz.edu if you have any ultrasound-based study needs that are not listed here. *

Energy Balance Assessment Core

We provide expertise for obesity- and nutrition-related research, including:

• measurement of components of energy balance (e.g., energy expenditure and intake)
• assessing consequences of alterations in energy balance (e.g., body composition, substrate oxidation)
• bone density (DXA) and bone structure (HRpQCT)

NEW!!! High Resolution peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (HR-pQCT) is now available to obtain non-invasive 3D images at the distal tibia and distal radius of humans for clinical in vivo assessments of volumetric bone mineral density and parameters of bone quality (e.g., microarchitecture, geometry, porosity, and biomechanics). XtremeCT II HR-pQCT scanner images have a very small isotropic voxel size (60.7 μm) and very low radiation dose (≤5 μSv per scan/anatomical site) so the device can be used for studies performed in adult, adolescent, and pediatric populations.

If your project is already funded, please fill out the Energy Balance Assessment Core (EBAC) Application to request services for your next project:

Planning a Study and Need Pricing Information?

Scheduling with CTRC Scheduler

Scheduler will allow you to schedule across all CTRC services. Please see our Scheduler page for various topics such as:

• How to access and use CTRC Scheduler
• Accessing your protocols in CTRC Scheduler
• CTRC Scheduler for Cancer Center inpatient visits
• Requesting an MRN or appointment hold