The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes

What The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes does

The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (TRI-MD), also operating as AdventHealth Translational Research Institute or TRI, is a translational research institute founded in 2012 as part of the AdventHealth Research Institute. It conducts early-phase clinical studies targeting obesity, diabetes, prediabetes, and cardiovascular disease, applying a "bench-to-bedside" methodology that integrates basic scientific discovery with clinical trial execution. The institute is wholly embedded within AdventHealth and operates from a custom-designed 54,000-square-foot facility on the AdventHealth Orlando campus.

TRI-MD's platform is organized around specialized research cores: a 10-bed Clinical Research Unit staffed 24/7 by ACLS-certified nurses for inpatient studies, biopsies, and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic work; a Calorimetry Core with four MEI-designed room calorimeters for 24-hour energy expenditure assessment; an Imaging Core featuring a 3T Philips Achieva MRI with multinuclear (31P, 13C) MR spectroscopy capabilities plus GE Lunar iDXA body composition; an Exercise Testing and Training Core with treadmills, ergometers, ECG, and exercise physiologist support; a Metabolic Kitchen supervised by registered dietitians; a Laboratory Core with robotic accessioning, LIMS tracking, and wet-lab cellular/molecular/microscopy capabilities; and a Data Management, Statistics and Bioinformatics core. Scientific leadership rests with Scientific Director Bret H. Goodpaster, PhD, and physician-researcher Richard Pratley, MD, with research featured in Nature Medicine.

The business model is research-grant and sponsored-research based. Revenue is generated through proof-of-concept and proof-of-mechanism studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical companies. Trial enrollment is supported by a dedicated Research Participant Recruiting Core and an internal partnership with the AdventHealth Marketing Department. Active trials include ATLAS (adipose tissue response to endurance exercise), SOMMA2 (muscle, mobility, and aging), and CLEAR (hypoglycemia awareness restoration). The institute holds IRB, IBC, and Office of Research Integrity and Compliance oversight, and received a 2026 American Diabetes Association Junior Faculty Development Award.

Name

The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes

Legal name

The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes

Website

https://tri-md.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes conducts early-phase clinical research on obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease from its 54,000-square-foot facility on the AdventHealth Orlando campus, funded by NIH, biotech, and pharmaceutical sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Research & Trial Central Laboratories (HLAFAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Translational Medicine & Biomarkers (HLAIALAF), Diabetes (General) (HLAKADAA)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Translational research
• Metabolic disease research
• Early-phase clinical trials
• Diabetes and obesity research

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: The institute conducts research funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH), biotech companies, and pharmaceutical companies through proof-of-concept and proof-of-mechanism research studies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (TRI-MD) conducts bench-to-bedside translational clinical research focused on obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Operating from a 54,000-square-foot facility on the AdventHealth Orlando campus, the institute delivers research services through specialized cores including a 10-bed Clinical Research Unit, Calorimetry Core, Imaging Core with 3T multinuclear MRI, Exercise Testing Core, Laboratory Core with biorepository, Metabolic Kitchen, and Data Management/Bioinformatics. The institute is funded by NIH, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies for proof-of-concept and proof-of-mechanism research studies.

Product overview

The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes operates as a unified translational research platform consisting of multiple specialized research cores. The institute provides comprehensive clinical research services including a 10-bed Clinical Research Unit, Calorimetry Core with four metabolic chambers, Exercise Testing and Training facility, Imaging Core with 3T MRI and DEXA, Laboratory with biorepository, Metabolic Kitchen, and Data Management services. These cores work together to support 'bench-to-bedside' research focused on obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, conducting NIH, biotech, and pharma-funded clinical trials from their 54,000-square-foot facility on the AdventHealth Orlando campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Research Unit (CRU) A 10-bed inpatient test unit supporting overnight stays, biopsies, endocrine and isotopic turnover studies, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics research, staffed with ACLS-certified nurses 24/7 for clinical research participants.
• Calorimetry Core Four MEI-designed room calorimeters performing 24-hour energy expenditure assessments under free-living conditions, including two large chambers and two flex chambers for resting metabolic rate and respiratory quotient assessments.
• Exercise Testing and Training Core Research facility equipped with treadmills, bicycles, rowing equipment, free weights, resistance equipment, ergometers, and ECG systems for VO2 max testing, staffed by exercise physiologists and postdoctoral fellows.
• Imaging Core 3T Philips Achieva MRI with multinuclear (31P and 13C) capabilities dedicated to research, including MR spectroscopy for chemical and metabolic process monitoring, plus GE Lunar iDXA for body composition studies.
• Laboratory Core Specimen collection, processing, storage, and shipping services with robotic accessioning technologies and LIMS sample tracking system, including wet laboratory for cellular, molecular, microscopy, and functional assessments.
• Metabolic Kitchen State-of-the-art dietary research facility supervised by registered dietitians, providing precise dietary interventions and meal preparation for nutritional research studies.
• Data Management, Statistics and Bioinformatics Clinical data collection, quality assessment, storage and analysis services with informatics solutions lead, biostatistical core, and bioinformatician support.
• Clinical Trials Early-phase clinical studies including proof-of-concept and proof-of-mechanism research through NIH, biotech, and pharma-funded projects focusing on diabetes, exercise and bioenergetics, and metabolism and obesity.
• Research Participant Recruiting Services Dedicated recruiting staff creating recruitment plans and identifying prospective subjects meeting enrollment criteria for clinical trials, with partnership support from AdventHealth Marketing Department.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dedicated to extending and improving quality of life through discoveries and cures for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AdventHealth Marketing DepartmentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternal partnership providing additional participant recruiting support for clinical trial enrollment efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Steno Diabetes Center: Steno Diabetes Center is a leading European clinical and translational diabetes research institute. While geographically distinct, it offers comparable bench-to-bedside research infrastructure focused on diabetes and metabolic disease, making it a regional peer in the same niche.

Direct peers

• Joslin Diabetes Center: Joslin Diabetes Center is a leading clinical and translational research institute dedicated exclusively to diabetes and metabolic disease. Like TRI-MD, it operates a bench-to-bedside model combining basic research with clinical trials, making it a directly comparable peer in metabolic disease research.
• Cochin Clinical Research Center - Metabolism: Cochin Clinical Research Center operates metabolic and cardiovascular clinical research programs at a major hospital. It is comparable to TRI-MD in combining an inpatient clinical research unit with metabolic phenotyping capabilities and pharma-sponsored trial work.
• Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes: Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes is a specialty clinical research institute focused on Type 1 diabetes. It shares TRI-MD's translational research focus on metabolic disease and operates similar clinical trial infrastructure for early-phase diabetes studies.
• Indiana University School of Medicine - Diabetes Research Center: Indiana University's Diabetes Research Center conducts translational research on Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, metabolism, and obesity. Its combination of basic science and clinical trials makes it a comparable peer to TRI-MD in metabolic disease research.
• Pennington Biomedical Research Center: Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a translational research institute focused on obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disease with core facilities for calorimetry, body composition, and clinical trials. Its mission and infrastructure closely mirror TRI-MD's metabolic disease focus and bench-to-bedside research model.
• Vanderbilt Diabetes Center: Vanderbilt Diabetes Center conducts translational and clinical research in diabetes, obesity, and metabolism within a major academic medical center. It is comparable to TRI-MD in scientific focus and clinical research infrastructure for metabolic disease trials.

Others

• AdventHealth Research Institute (broader parent org): The AdventHealth Research Institute is TRI-MD's parent organization and encompasses a broader set of clinical research programs (cancer, neuroscience, cardiology, etc.). While not a competitor, it provides the institutional context, shared infrastructure, and patient pipeline that supports TRI-MD's operations.

Broad incumbents

• Mayo Clinic - Clinical Research Unit: Mayo Clinic operates an extensive clinical and translational research program that includes metabolic disease studies, advanced imaging cores, and inpatient clinical research units. As a much larger institution, it competes for the same pharma/biotech funded metabolic trials and serves as a broad incumbent peer.
• Cleveland Clinic - Lerner Research Institute: Lerner Research Institute is the basic and translational research arm of Cleveland Clinic, with programs in cardiovascular and metabolic disease. As an established research enterprise embedded in a major health system, it competes with TRI-MD for translational metabolic research sponsors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-translational-research-institute-for-metabolism-and-diabetes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes