Developing a Community-Based Facility to Support Next Generation Biomedical HIV Research - Administrative Supplement Application Abstract/Summary The Whitman-Walker Institute Biomedical Research Hub that this supplement will support, represents a transfonnative investment in community-based biomedical research infrastructure that integrates advanced clinical diagnostics, bio specimen science, investigational pharmacy, implementation science, and clinical research within a trusted healthcare organization serving Washington, DC. Designed as an extension of the parent C06 award, the Biomedical Research Hub will create complementary research faci lities that expand institutional capacity to conduct innovative HIV research while improving access to scientific advances for communities disproportionately affected by HIV. The Biomedical Research Hub will encompass the complete continuum of HIV clinical research. Beginning with patient evaluation and clinical care, the facility will support specimen collection, laboratory processing, tissue culture, molecular diagnostics, biospecimen preservation, investigational pharmacy operations, implementation science, and clinical trials. Together these complementary capabilities create a research environment capable of supporting investigator-initiated studies, federally funded clinical trials, translational science, community-initiated research, implementation research, and future biomedical innovation. The Biomedical Research Hub consists of two distinct but complementary research infrastructure projects and faci lities that will increase Whitman-Walker Institute's research capacity - the Clinical Diagnostics and Biospecimen Processing Core, and the Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics Core. Although each facility serves a distinct scientific function, together they establish an integrated Biomedical Research Hub capable of supporting increasingly sophisticated HIV research and related comorbidities while remaining fully aligned with the objectives of the parent C06 award. We are requesting grant suppo1t to complete the construction of the Clinical Diagnostics and Biospecimen Processing Core dedicated to clinical specimen acquisition, laboratory processing, tissue culture, cryogenic storage, molecular diagnostics, and biospecimen banking. Goal 1: Build-out a po1tion of a 6,000 sq. ft, section of the 3rd floor at 1201 Sycamore Drive SE, Washington, DC, 20032 to include: • la: A research laboratory and secure storage of approximately 1,300 sq.ft. compliant with Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2), to build capacity for translational HIV co-infections and comorbidities research. • 1 b: Approximately 1,400 sq.ft. of consult, exam, procedure, and infusion rooms for participant-facing research and approximately 2,750 sq.ft. of faculty and staff offices to expand our current capacity.
