Frontier Science and UCLA Partner to Stimulate Research on AIDS and Substance Abuse
Frontier Science is pleased to announce C3PNO, a partnership with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to stimulate new research in the areas of HIV/AIDS infection in the context of substance abuse.
C3PNO, the Collaborating Consortium of Cohorts Producing NIDA Opportunities, is the new coordinating center for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) cohorts studying the intersection of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. These cohorts have been producing high-impact science in this area since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The goal of the C3PNO project is to help bring nine, distinct NIDA cohorts together to help centralize data, coordinate research efforts, and stimulate new research.
Trial Management and Data Management Expertise
The coordinating center for the C3PNO project is operated jointly by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Frontier Science Foundation in Amherst, New York. The C3PNO project is led by two co-principal Investigators, Dr. Pamina Gorbach from UCLA and Suzanne Siminski from Frontier Science. The C3PNO project benefits by having complimentary clinical research and data management expertise in this core leadership role, and each team brings its own unique expertise to C3PNO.
The team at UCLA is led by Pamina Gorbach, MHS, DrPH. Dr. Gorbach is the Principal Investigator of mSTUDY, one of the NIDA cohorts participating in the C3PNO project. Her expertise in running a cohort makes Dr. Gorbach exceptionally qualified to coordinate the scientific and research ambitions of the C3PNO project, applying the principles of team science.
The data management aspects of the coordinating center are overseen by Suzanne Siminski, Director of the Frontier Science New York office. Sue has over 25 years of experience in data management, and has spearheaded several laboratory and clinical trial projects in which Frontier Science is involved.
Website Tools
The C3PNO website was made available shortly after the project was announced in 2017. Investigators can use the site to get more information about the participating cohorts and to submit research proposals.
Work is already underway to include a catalog of data variables collected by the cohorts. This catalog will allow investigators to see and compare the types of data collected by cohorts, and to use this information to help articulate research proposals. In the future, this feature may be expanded to provide more granular information about the variables collected, and searchable, aggregate record counts.
The website will also soon include a web-based biospecimen repository application. Modeled after the ACTG/IMPAACT specimen repository developed by Frontier Science, the C3PNO repository will allow investigators to search aggregate counts of specimens available to request for additional testing and research. The C3PNO repository will be another tool to help investigators discover resources available through the C3PNO project and to inform future research proposals.