Scientific Concept of the National Cohort (status ... - Nationale Kohorte

C.1
C.1 Annex: Description of the study centers
Description of the institution responsible for establishing and operating of the study
center
regensburg university was founded in 1962 and was designed as a comprehensive university
offering a diverse spectrum of educational and research disciplines. An average
of 20,000 students are currently enrolled at Regensburg University. The department of
Epidemiology and Preventive medicine at Regensburg University is embedded in the
Regensburg University Medical Center, a tertiary care facility that provides inpatient and
outpatient diagnostics and therapy for all serious diseases. It accommodates 20 clinical
departments and five biomedical institutes and provides the majority of health care in North-
Eastern Bavaria, with 29,000 inpatients and 111,000 outpatients being treated here every
year. The Faculty of Medicine at Regensburg University Medical Center has made a firm
commitment to support a comprehensive research program on disease prevention. As such,
there are strong research collaborations between the epidemiology department and clinical
partners at the Regensburg University Medical Center, including collaborations in the areas
of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and biostatistics.
Clinical research infrastructure is available at the Regensburg University Medical
Center for all pertinent aspects of medical and epidemiologic data collection and analysis,
including experienced study personnel (study nurses, data managers, IT specialists, and
quality assurance managers), laboratory facilities for blood sampling and biospecimen storage,
and in-house facilities for imaging examinations (MRI).
The primary areas of research of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
at Regensburg University include the interrelationship between body size, energy intake,
physical activity, and chronic disease with a focus on cancer. Research encompasses methodological
research on the assessment of physical activity and its individual components.
Although physical activity measurement techniques have evolved considerably over the
past few years, the main obstacle in quantifying physical activity is the complexity of precisely
measuring its individual components. In addition, the department is pursuing research
to identify of biological mechanisms linking the adverse effects of obesity, energy oversupply,
and physical inactivity to disease risk. Possible biological mechanisms include insulin
resistance and lipid metabolism, insulin-like growth factors, steroid hormones, immune function,
and inflammatory factors. The department also has a strong focus on molecular and
genetic epidemiology and it is an active participant of several large consortia, such as GI-
ANT (Genetic Investigation of ANThropometric parameters), one of the largest international
genetic epidemiology consortia including over 40 studies involving n~120,000 subjects and
n~100 researchers. In addition to research, the department provides teaches epidemiology
to medical students and students of molecular medicine through lectures, seminars, and
mentorships for masters, and doctoral theses.
Description of the study center Regensburg
The sampling frame for the National Cohort includes a source population of 215,000 inhabitants
in Regensburg city and neighboring communities. Under the leadership of M.
Leitzmann 10,000 study participants in the age range of 20 - 69 years will be recruited at
the study center in Regensburg. The study center includes ample space (approximately 500
m²) for interviews, clinical investigations, blood draws, and interim storage of biosamples.
The study center is located within the Regensburg University Medical Center, which is easily
accessible to study participants via public transportation or by car. The direct location of
the study center at Regensburg University Medical Center and its existing collaborations
with numerous clinicians and associated scientists will allow for an optimal conduct and
oversight of the study operations and will facilitate identifying and validating a wide range
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