2011-08-17 A commentary by Gregory Farber and Linda Weiss entitled ‘Core Facilities: Maximizing the Return on Investment, appears in this week’s online version of Science Translational Medicine (Volume 3, Issue 95, page 95, August 10, 2011) at http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/3/95/95cm21.abstract . From the posted abstract…”To conduct high-quality state-of-the-art research, clinical and translational scientists need access to specialized core facilities and appropriately trained staff. In this time of economic constraints and increasing research costs, organized and efficient core facilities are essential for researchers who seek to investigate complex translational research questions. Here, we describe efforts at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and academic medical centers to enhance the utility of cores.”