A Tool to Prevent Deaths Due to Female Underrepresentation in Clinical Trials

ROCKVILLE, MD – Women are often underrepresented in cardiac clinical trials—yet they are at least at equally high risk of death due to cardiovascular disease, and at higher risk of developing drug-induced heart complications compared to men. Clinical trials of medicines generally rely on electrocardiograms (EKG) to measure a patient’s heart’s response to a medicine and determine its safety, yet males and females have a number of differences in their heart physiology that are reflected in consistent variations in their EKGs.

Jaime Merchán, M.D., Named a Translational and Clinical Oncology Research Program Co-Leader

Jaime Merchán, M.D., is the new Translational and Clinical Oncology Research Program co-leader at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – University of Miami Health System.

FSU psychologist receives $3.7 million grant to combat anxiety in older adults with Alzheimer’s, cognitive impairment

For the more than 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, or mild cognitive impairment, anxiety is often an accompanying challenge. A Florida State University psychologist has received a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study intervention techniques that aim to combat anxiety in these groups and improve quality of life.

A Leading-Edge Lymphoma Program

Less than three years after joining the Cedars-Sinai Cancer faculty, hematologist-oncologists Justin Darrah, MD, and Akil Merchant, MD, are pioneering new research and bringing a new, comprehensive set of treatment options to patients in the recently established Lymphoma Program.

Controversial Alzheimer’s drug approval sparks surprising impact

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 29, 2022 — When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave controversial accelerated approval to the first Alzheimer’s drug in nearly 20 years, it had a surprising impact on attitudes about research into the disease. A survey by University of California, Irvine neuroscientists has found news coverage of the FDA’s decision made the public less willing to volunteer for Alzheimer’s pharmaceutical trials.

NCCN Announces Funding for Bladder Cancer Research Projects, in Collaboration with Pfizer and EMD Serono

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Oncology Research Program selects projects focused on improving patient care and outcomes in locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer.

Restored blood flow meant less pain, better quality of life for those with leg artery disease

estoring blood flow to the legs, whether through bypass surgery or a less invasive artery-opening procedure with a stent, reduced pain and improved quality of life for people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to preliminary, late-breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022.

Many middle-aged adults wary of taking part in studies of dementia prevention drugs

Drug companies and university-based teams are working urgently to find and test new medications that could prevent or slow the decline of brain function in older adults. But a new study suggests they’ll need to work harder to find volunteers for their clinical trials.

Breast Cancer Research Foundation Renews Support for Mount Sinai Research on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) has renewed its funding to Elisa Port, MD, and Hanna Irie, MD, PhD, to study new therapeutic approaches that target aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. The latest installment of $225,000 brings the total to almost $2 million over the past nine years. It will fund research into the immune microenvironment of triple-negative breast cancer in order to identify new strategies to enhance cancer-fighting immune responses for this aggressive breast cancer, which traditionally has few options for treatment.

Radiation oncology research and clinical trial results to be featured at ASTRO’s Annual Meeting in San Antonio

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) announced today the 10 studies that will be highlighted in the 2022 ASTRO Annual Meeting press program. Researchers will discuss their findings in two news briefings to be held October 24 and 25 in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio and via live webcast. Reporters can register for the meeting at astro.org/annualmeetingpress.

UCI receives $580 million in research funding for fiscal 2021-22

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 25, 2022 — From monitoring sandy beaches to gauge the effects of sea-level rise to holding clinical trials for potentially lifesaving cancer treatments, scholars, scientists and physicians at the University of California, Irvine are blazing new paths to help change the world. And their impact keeps growing.

Prompt Recognition and Treatment Found Effective for Lung Disease in Patients Who Received New Drug for Advanced Cancer

Lung disease caused by a new drug for cancers—including metastatic or advanced breast cancer—can be effectively treated using approaches that focus on early detection and prompt management, according to a study published in ESMO Open on August 11, 2022.

FAU Announces Formation of FAU Health Network

Three South Florida counties that collectively are home to the largest metropolitan population in the state will soon be served by an academic health network that is a true collaboration of the region’s leading public and private academic and medical leaders.

Groundbreaking for Major Expansion of University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

The University of Maryland Medical Center celebrates the groundbreaking of a nine-story patient care tower – the Roslyn and Leonard Stoler Center for Advanced Medicine – that will become the new home of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. The $219 million building will enable the cancer center to provide the most technologically advanced, integrated care to cancer patients throughout Maryland and the region well into the future

Cardiologists, Cardiothoracic Surgeons Available for Expert Commentary Ahead of Upcoming Conferences

Cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai are available to discuss the latest advances in research, clinical care, transcatheter procedures and cardiothoracic surgery throughout the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Scientific Sessions 2022 and Heart Rhythm 2022.

Mayo Clinic co-leads a new coalition to improve patient care through community-level clinical trials

Mayo Clinic and several health organizations launched the Advancing Clinical Trials at the Point of Care Coalition to improve patient care by giving clinicians quality clinical research evidence in real time to better evaluate treatments and therapeutics, including those to treat COVID-19. The [email protected] coalition will bring together health systems, community-based care organizations, health research organizations and a more diverse group of patients and providers to support the design of adaptable clinical trials and develop digital health tools that make clinical trials simpler to conduct and more accessible to patients.

Montefiore-Einstein Researchers Test Whether Molnupiravir Can Prevent COVID-19

As part of a recently launched international phase 3 clinical trial, Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine are investigating whether the Merck antiviral pill, molnupiravir, now approved in Britain for treating COVID-19, can prevent COVID-19 in unvaccinated individuals living with people who have contracted the disease. Montefiore-Einstein is the first and only New York State site for the trial and was selected due to its diverse patient population and expertise in clinical trials of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Virtual Village Treats HIV-associated Loneliness in Novel UC San Diego Health Trial

A new trial by UC San Diego Health infectious disease specialist Maile Young Karris, MD, will use longitudinal questionnaires and qualitative interviews to assess the impact of living in an interconnected virtual village on the loneliness known to afflict older people with HIV.

Moffitt Participating in National Pilot Project to Increase Diversity in Clinical Trials

Moffitt Cancer Center is participating in a national pilot project being conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). The pilot project is testing a research site self-assessment tool and an implicit bias training program focused on increasing racial and ethnic diversity among cancer treatment trial participants.

Columbia University and Pfizer to Establish Clinical Trials Diversity Initiative

Columbia University Irving Medical Center, its Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Pfizer Inc. have established the Columbia-Pfizer Clinical Trials Diversity Initiative, with the aim of reducing health disparities by increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in clinical trials and enhancing the diversity of clinical researchers.

UC San Diego Health Launches New Center to Spur Patient-Centered Technologies

From tele-monitoring patients with diabetes to using artificial intelligence to prevent sepsis, the newly launched Center for Health Innovation will seek to develop, test and commercialize technologies that make a real, measurable difference in the lives and wellbeing of patients.

2VIDA! Tackles COVID Vaccine Hesitancy and Barriers in Latinx, Black Communities

UC San Diego is collaborating with San Ysidro Health on an NIH-funded outreach program to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Latinx and African American communities. The team runs pop-up vaccination sites across San Diego, and goes door-to-door to homes and local businesses to spread awareness.

UCI receives record $592 million in research funding for fiscal 2020-21

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 2, 2021 — From cutting-edge research for advancing precision medicine to an innovative new effort for improving public water infrastructure to increase conservation, University of California, Irvine scholars, scientists and physicians are blazing new paths to help change the world. And their impact keeps growing.

AZ heroes study awarded $15M to continue, expand evaluation of COVID-19 immunity

A University of Arizona Health Sciences study of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and immunity among frontline workers has received a $15 million award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue the current research for another year…

Novel Method Predicts if COVID-19 Clinical Trials Will Fail or Succeed

Researchers are the first to model COVID-19 completion versus cessation in clinical trials using machine learning algorithms and ensemble learning. They collected 4,441 COVID-19 trials from ClinicalTrials.gov to build a testbed with 693 dimensional features created to represent each clinical trial. These computational methods can predict whether a COVID-19 clinical trial will be completed or terminated, withdrawn or suspended. Stakeholders can leverage the predictions to plan resources, reduce costs, and minimize the time of the clinical study.