Limited Competition for the Continuation of the NIDDK Diabetic Foot Consortium - Clinical Research Units (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)

The Diabetic Foot Consortium (DFC) is the first clinical network for the study of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) a common, expensive, and debilitating complication of diabetes that leads to over 100,000 amputations in the United States every year. The DFC was started to address this significant public health problem by building a research infrastructure and validating biomarkers to predict healing or recurrence of DFUs. This Limited Competition Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) calls for the renewal of the Clinical Research Units (CRUs) for their support of an expansion of the mission of the DFC with the following goals: 1) develop and validate biomarkers for DFUs;2) accelerate advances in DFU standard care; 3) characterize the role of social determinants of health for DFU healing and recurrence; and 4) build on the DFC infrastructure through ancillary studies and satellite sites. Future research may involve clinical trials and studies on the pathophysiology and prevention of DFUs. All protocol interactions in the DFC will occur at the CRUs. They will recruit participants, collect longitudinal data, images and biosamples and send these data and biosamples to the Data Coordinating Center and Biomarker Analysis Units. They will also collaborate with Satellite sites to accelerate the pace of the DFC studies. As members of the Steering Committee, they will provide leadership in developing protocols and setting priorities for the DFC to best leverage its resources to improve clinical research and care for DFUs.