IDDRC Clinical Translational Core | UC Davis MIND Institute

The primary objective of the Clinical Translational (CT) Core is to support IDDRC projects by optimizing recruitment of a diverse range of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism, fragile X syndrome, Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Down syndrome, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and providing diagnostic assessment services, neurobehavioral characterization, and collection of biological specimens. Researchers in the field often encounter challenges in recruiting sufficient numbers of well-characterized individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities, as well as meaningful comparison groups, including typically developing individuals. Increasingly, researchers also require tools for fully characterizing their participants in nuanced and complex ways along multiple dimensions to illuminate underlying neuropathology and causal mechanisms and suggest ways to adapt or develop treatments. The CT Core is designed to address these challenges.

• Recruitment of a diverse range of participants. The CT Core participates in community events and outreach activities to engage new participants to research. It maintains a growing participant registry that includes multiple ethnicities, races, and economic backgrounds with both atypical and typical populations across a wide age span.
• Behavioral and diagnostic characterization of human participants. The CT Core provides access to experienced clinicians who can conduct specialized evaluations, advise studies in best practices for assessment, instrument selection and participant engagement/compliance, provide training in administration of standardized measures, establish initial reliability, and monitor administration fidelity. Select services are offered in Spanish.
• Deep phenotyping and genomics expertise. The CT Core offers tools and training at several service levels, making recent innovations in phenotypic characterization of participants available to IDDRC investigators.
• Deep phenotyping includes access to the IDDRC ERP lab and consultation with David Hessl regarding the selection and implementation of both standardized and innovative experimental cognitive and behavioral assessments for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those with more significant developmental challenges. These assessments include the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery for intellectual and developmental disabilities, electronic methods of ecological momentary assessment, and methods to improve IQ assessments and scoring.
• Genomics consultation with Suma Shankar includes discussion of differential diagnosis of genetic disabilities, genetic testing options, interpretation of genetic/genomic findings, identification of relevant genes and variants, determination of the significance of genetic/copy number variants using various databases and ACMG guidelines, interpretation of incidental findings in whole exome and whole genome analysis and pharmacogenomic findings, and facilitation of referrals to genetic clinics for additional clinical testing.
• Integration of technology into research. The CT Core provides on-site high-level research IT support and access to a full array of technologies, including telehealth, and other expertise at UC Davis Health, including the Center for Health Technology.
• Collection and storage of biospecimens from human participants. The CT Core provides phlebotomy services and access and incentives to use a core-managed freezer library for biospecimen storage as well as by links to the MIND IDDRC Biological and Molecular Analysis Core and the MIND Institute Genomic Medicine Program. This promotes sharing across IDDRC projects.

Submit a request for IDDRC - Clinical Translation Core (CTC)

All CT Core services are requested through the online form above. The form collects details needed to fulfill the request (e.g., sample sizes, inclusion/exclusion criteria, targeted populations, timelines), and tracks utilization data that permits the Core to improve services and resources. Requests are reviewed weekly by the CT Core management team, who make decisions about resource allocation and respond within 48 hours to requests. First priority is IDDRC research projects.

If you are not an IDDRC approved project, please submit a request for approval.

IDDRC Research Project Application Form

For questions, please contact Michele Ono, Project Manager myono@ucdavis.edu

Sally Ozonoff, Core Director

Brittani Phillips, Project Manager