Pediatric Clinical Research Unit (PCRU)  

The Pediatric Clinical Research Unit (PCRU) provides the infrastructure and expertise needed to support high-quality pediatric clinical research at Arkansas Children’s, enabling studies that advance the health, development and well-being of children in Arkansas and beyond.

PCRU Facilities and Capabilities

The PCRU features purpose-built spaces to support both patients and researchers in a comfortable, child-friendly environment. The unit includes:

• 16 private treatment rooms
• 2 assessment rooms for neurocognitive testing and observation
• 1 dedicated phlebotomy room
• Investigational pharmacy
• Food allergy preparation kitchen
• Specimen processing laboratory

Investigational Drug Services (IDS)

A key component of the PCRU is Investigational Drug Services (IDS), which provides comprehensive pharmacy support for all ACH departments conducting human research involving investigational products (IP).

Supports:

• Protocol assessments
• Pharmacy budget development
• Study pharmacy monitor coordination
• EMR medication order builds
• Emergency IND and single‑patient IND submissions/Compassionate‑use drug requests
• Procurement of research medications not supplied by the study (human, animal, and lab research)

Maintains secure, restricted access storage, including:

• Multiple refrigerators
• ‑20°C freezer space
• ‑80°C ultra‑cold freezer space