Underserved populations across the nation are less likely to have a chance to participate in clinical research.
A new clinical trials resource center at West Virginia University funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is poised to change that.
Clinical research trials provide participants with access to the newest and most advanced treatments and offer hope and opportunity for researchers to discover better treatments and cures for diseases.
Launched in the fall, the IDeA State Consortium for Clinical Research Resource Center (ISCORE-RC) will enhance training and resources to ultimately increase the number of clinical trials in Institutional Development Award (IDeA) states, those 23 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, that traditionally have relatively low rates of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and limited numbers of NIH funded clinical trials.
This 5-year grant, with estimated annual funding of approximately $2.85 million, was awarded to Dr. Sally Hodder, West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (WVCTSI) director, associate vice president for clinical and translational science at WVU, and Chancellor’s Preeminent Scholar Chair.
“This is an exciting opportunity to build clinical trial availability for underserved populations across the country,” said Hodder.
A variety of assets will be provided through the creation of the ISCORE-RC. ISCORE-RC will establish two distinct resources: 1) a clinical research coordinator development program (CRCDP) and 2) a clinical trials service center (CTSC). The CRCDP will train clinical research coordinators at sites across the country with self-paced online learning modules paired with mentorship and supervised hands-on training. The CTSC will address common barriers using a multifaceted approach including communication of upcoming clinical trials opportunities to IDeA investigators and effective marketing of IDeA states.
“The West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute is a national leader in clinical trials research and in reaching underserved populations,” Dr. Clay Marsh, chancellor and executive dean, WVU Health Sciences, said. “This new national clinical trials resource center supported by the National Institutes of Health will bring the impact of new treatments, medications and procedures to many in our state and region who have not previously had the opportunity to participate, ultimately providing hope and better health for our citizens.”
As IDeA state institutions may have an interest in either the clinical trials service center or the clinical research coordinator development program , but not both, membership in ISCORE Resource Center will not require that institutions participate in both components.
Staffing roles and infrastructure details will be announced in the coming weeks.
WVCTSI is funded by an IDeA Clinical and Translational grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to support the mission of building clinical and translational research infrastructure and capacity to impact health disparities in West Virginia.
