# UNC Core Center for Clinical Research

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2024 · $708,835

## Abstract

OVERALL CCCR ABSTRACT
The overall goal of the UNC CCCR is to enhance the design and conduct of clinical studies in
Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) with a focus on osteoarthritis (OA), a particular
strength of our research community. Unfortunately, RMDs remain a major burden to patients and society.
Many RMDs are rare, and even those that are common, such as OA, are so heterogeneous that no effective
therapies have yet been identified. Improved understanding of phenotypes within RMDs, and individualized
management targeted to these groups, is needed to improve the health of our patients. Understanding and
incorporating phenotypic information in clinical observational studies and trials will be crucial to move
the field forward and is a major goal of our CCCR. Importantly, this pursuit will address the NIAMS long-
range plan for clinical research which emphasizes that, “clinical characterization of disease subtypes is critical
to assessment of epidemiological data and efficient design of clinical trials in these disease areas.” The
proposed renewal UNC CCCR will build on the current, transformative CCCR which has had a major impact on
OA phenotyping and precision medicine research. Although the CCCR will maintain its focus on OA, the
analytical methods used for phenotyping and precision medicine are readily applicable to other RMDs that are
strengths within our research community including RA, back pain, lupus, and myositis. Our goal is to optimize
the design, analysis and implementation of clinical studies and trials in OA and other RMDs to advance
clinical care and public health efforts targeted toward individuals with these conditions through the
following aims: 1) Administrative Core: Provide leadership, oversight, coordination, evaluation, and general
administrative support for all CCCR activities; 2) Methodology Core: Provide a comprehensive suite of state-of-
the-art resources to optimize the quality, efficiency and innovation of the CCCR research community that
includes local, national and international members; 3) Phenotyping and Precision Medicine Resource Core:
Develop and characterize a new, high value, real-world data resource while continuing to provide consultative
services around phenotyping and precision medicine analyses and training/educational opportunities in data
science. The combined and integrated activities proposed in the three cores combined with the extensive and
successful research community, make for a Center that truly is greater than the sum of its individual parts. This
CCCR will provide a unique resource to benefit those working in RMD research but ultimately all those
who have or might develop RMDs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10928431
- **Project number:** 2P30AR072580-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** LEIGH Fleming CALLAHAN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $708,835
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2019-09-04 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10928431

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10928431, UNC Core Center for Clinical Research (2P30AR072580-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10928431. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*
