MCRU Services
Photo of MCRU staff looking into the ear of a patient

MCRU provides researchers access to a wide variety of clinical research resources.

Access Time & Events Table

The Michigan Clinical Research Unit (​MCRU) offers clinical research resources including, but not limited to, RN nursing services, clinical support services, laboratory processing, space, mobile clinical research support, and more. View the services and pricing below to see how we can assist you with your clinical research needs.  

Services

All rates below go into effect on April 1, 2024. 

Startup Fee | Rate: $1,250 per study (One-time initiation fee)
MCRU startup fee is applied per protocol for the following:

  • Protocol and lab manual review
  • Training & Education
  • Building reference tools

Infusion Services | Rate: $156 per hour (3-hour minimum)
MCRU’s Nursing Service provides infusion support Monday through Friday during normal business hours. Off-hour requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Please note: Actual Services Provided will be billed based on utilization at the scheduled appointment unless the actual appointment is longer.

Clinic Visits
Gain access to clinical research resources to assist in your study needs at the main CVC location, which houses the metabolic kitchen and exercise physiology room. This Clinical Support Services offering includes support of clinical personnel and supplies for each visit.

  • Basis Clinic Visit | Rate: $50 per visit rate (visit is defined as up to 3 hours, morning space-only visits are defined as up to 1 hour) 
    Scheduling, Room Fee, and/or Space

    MCRU Staff are available to check in and check out participants during regular business hours. Room and included infrastructure (phone/computer) available for use. MCRU equipment such as the blood pressure machine and scale will be available for the study team.
  • Moderate Clinic Visit | Rate: $105 per visit rate (visit is defined as up to 3 hours)
    Basic Visit + Vitals, EKG, Blood draws. 

    Includes space, support of clinical personnel, and supplies for each visit.
  • Complex Clinic Visit | Rate: $180 per visit rate (visit is defined as up to 5 hours)
    Moderate Visit + Oral Medication Administration, Injection Administration of Biologics/Investigational Products by MCRU Staff (Non-Infusion). *Does not include central lab processing

    Includes space, support of clinical personnel, and supplies for each visit

Laboratory Processing 
*Includes labs for clinic visits and/or lab drop-offs
The MCRU Specimen Processing Laboratory performs basic processing and stabilization for specimens. We allow short-term storage, and we ship both domestically and internationally. A lab manual is required to confirm collections and purpose.

  • Simple Lab Processing | Rate: $60 per lab set 
    Includes up to 6 draw tubes/12 aliquots/30 min effort
    Operations that extend staff effort beyond 30 min may be defined as Moderate. 
  • Moderate Lab Processing | Rate: $90 per lab set
    Includes up to 12 draw tubes/24 aliquots/60 min effort
    Operations that extend staff effort beyond 60 min may be defined as Complex.
  • Complex Clinic Visit | Rate: $120 per lab set
    Includes 12+ draw tubes/24+ aliquots/60+ min effort
    Lab Manager will determine feasibility if effort required is substantially beyond 60 min.

Labs - Non-Batch Distribution 
The MCRU Lab Associates will reconcile and prepare samples to be shipped out to central labs or picked up by study teams ‘same day/next day’. Confirmation of shipments or distributions will be logged in OnCore.

Non-batch distribution fees are defined by the number of unique shipments required to fully distribute all products of lab processing for a given visit. 

  • Simple | Rate: $15; 1 to 2 packages
  • Moderate | Rate: $25; 3 to 4 packages
  • Complex | Rate: $40; 5+ packages

Labs - Batch Distribution | Rate: $64 per batch shipment 
The MCRU Lab Associates will reconcile and prepare stored samples to be shipped out to central labs or picked up by study teams. This service requires separate scheduling using the lab’s “Batch Shipment Request” form that should be emailed to the team a minimum of one week prior to shipment. Confirmation of shipments or distributions will be logged in OnCore.

Labs - PBMC Processing | Rate: $125 per PBMC
PBMCs refer to the various lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and monocytes contained in the blood, and are generally used to study immunological responses in the body. PBMC isolation is accomplished by various forms of density gradient centrifugation*. Post-isolation cell viability is determined using a trypan blue stain with manual count. PBMCs are frozen in a controlled chamber (Mr. Frosty) to ensure a steady freezing rate. 

*The method of isolation is dependent on the study requirements and some reagents and materials must be supplied by the study itself.

Mobile Clinical Research Team (MCRU2U) | Rate: $150 per round trip 
*Bundle rate includes Clinical Support Services. Does not include central lab processing.
MCRU clinical staff trained in research-specific clinical competencies are available to collect blood and urine samples and perform EKGs within the hospital campus. This includes the Taubman Center, CS Mott Children’s Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, Cancer Center, Cardiovascular Center, University Hospital, and Dominos Farms. Collected samples are brought to the MCRU laboratory for processing, shipment, or short-term storage in MCRU freezers. Sample collection and EKGs are documented by MCRU staff in a MiChart research encounter.

Extended Stay (with MCRU staff) | Rate: $105 per hour
Extended stay service using MCRU staff is offered on a case-by-case basis and does not include overnight/weekends. Please contact MCRU at [email protected] for more information.

Nutrition, Exercise, and Phenotype Testing (NExT)
MCRU partners with NExT for studies requiring:

  • DEXA (bone density test)
  • Metabolic Phenotyping services (e.g., body composition, resting metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity)
  • Bionutrition support through the Nutrition Assessment Laboratory (NAL)
  • Physical activity/exercise assessments, testing, and exercise intervention support through the Physical Activity Laboratory (PAL).

For additional information, please visit: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/mnorc/core-services/nutrition-exercise-phenotype-testing-core or contact Sara Ball ([email protected]) and Cathy Sanborn ([email protected]). 

Contact Us
Michigan Clinical Research Unit
Clinical Trials Support Office
Frankel Cardiovascular Center
1500 E Medical Center Dr
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
About Us

The Michigan Clinical Research Unit is provided through the Clinical Trials Support Office (CTSO). The CTSO is a unit of the Medical School Office of Research, where our mission is to foster an environment of innovation and efficiency that serves the Michigan Medicine research community and supports biomedical science from insight to impact.