Caritas Clinical

There is a chance that man's best friend may prove to be even better. There are some human diseases that are common to dogs as well, including glioblastoma - a brain tumor described in this article. Researchers test treatments in dogs for this disease that may lead to advances in human treatments. Within a highly protected area of the body, the brain, this tumor has an innate characteristic of resisting normal immune response. A therapeutic has been developed which would elicit a stronger immune response and teach the body to recognize and fight this tumor; it is currently awaiting FDA approval. Clinical trials in humans are possible thanks to abundant prior animal testing and this story reminds us to appreciate the creatures with whom we share the Earth.

A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that there is an imbalance in representation of women in clinical trials related to heart disease. 36 studies over the time frame of January 2005 and September 2015 were evaluated for the percentage of women enrolled, and enrolled populations often did not match disease populations. The study also showed little indication of clinically meaningful differences in efficacy or safety between men and women. Accurate representation is important to show possible differences in treatment responses between men and women. Going forward, it is important to make an effort to comprise clinical trials of subjects who reflect the population needing treatment. https://medicalxpress.com//2018-04-women-heart-disease-cli

Technology is improving the Clinical Trials space by increasing trial outreach to eligible subjects. Screening and Enrollment in trials can significantly impact the timeline of testing and demand site staff resources. The Mayo Clinic is delegating portions of these processes to IBM's Watson, a top of the line artificial intelligence (AI) system. The system can match patients with various types of cancer to the appropriate trials that are recruiting. The AI also has capabilities in Drug Discovery, as several other health facilities have applied it to disease research. Time will tell how effective AI will be in forthcoming clinical trials. https://www.outsourcing-pharma.com//AI-drives-80-increase-

This amazing clinical trial subject is a perfect example of how we can all actively contribute to medical clinical trials. She empowered herself with knowledge through self directed research and was able to find a non-traditional approach to treating her cancer. Although her inspirational story is not finished, it is proof of how each of us has a role to play in furthering studies which can save and improve lives. What will your role be in the clinical trial space? https://www.curetoday.com//trials-and-tribulations-navigat

A Phase III study for cartilage regeneration has begun - Damaged cartilage has previously been incurable with no effective therapies. A group of researchers have developed a treatment based upon mesenchymal stem cells. The developed 3-D synthetic tissue has excellent adhesive and differentiation ability. This treatment is unique in that the stem cells are cultured synthetically and then applied to subjects in only one surgical operation. This could potentially alleviate cost burden for patients. https://medicalxpress.com//2018-01-phase-iii-clinical-tria

Groundbreaking results in leukemia therapy - A new article was published in Nature Medicine regarding a phase I trial for a new CAR T-cell therapy. Previous CAR T-cell therapy utilized cancer cell surface protein CD-19 while this study (published 20Nov2017) reported promising results from targeting receptor protein CD-22. Of the 21 children in the study, a few achieved and remained in complete remission up to 21 months after treatment. Possible new direction in CAR T-cell therapy to target both CD-19 and CD-22 simultaneously.https://www.the-scientist.com/

Is it possible to target age-related diseases and aging simultaneously? Biologically it has been known for years that the accumulation of senescent cells promotes the development of many diseases including diabetes and cancer these same mechanisms are implicated in the aging process. While the development of drugs to target age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's are still in the pre-clinical research and discovery phase this very interesting article suggests that in the future we can expect an increase in clinical trials focused in this area. http://www.cnn.com//anti-aging-senolytic-drugs-/index.html

This is a very interesting article which centers around making the results of clinical trials publicly available (all results). While there maybe some debate as the correct way to do this it is something that needs to and should be done. https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org//clinical-t

Global collaborations such as this help to drive the discovery of potential life saving medications http://www.centerwatch.com//parexel-osaka-international-c/

https://www.newscientist.com//2133095-boom-in-human-gene-/ Crispr is the wave of the future for gene editing. It's utility in treating disease is also being studied in a number of clinical trials across the world

http://www.wthr.com//art-exhibition-celebrates-clinical-tr

https://www.nytimes.com//fda-novartis-leukemia-gene-medici this is very exciting news! While the use of these genetically altered cells will be limited initially it represents a huge step towards the advancement of immuno-oncolgy and cancer treatment.

Clinical Research Associate Job Opportunity!! Caritas Clinical Consulting is currently looking for a CRA in or around the Toronto, Canada area for a single site NAFLD assignment with visits on a 4-6 week schedule. The study is expected to last for 1 year. If you are interested in this opportunity respond via email or direct message. Feel free to share this with your network.