Sometimes even science is a guessing game.
That was the case with treatment of the first diagnosed cases of COVID-19, says Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a UC Health physician.
Dr. Brett Kissela, the Albert Barnes Voorheis chair and professor of the UC Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine and senior associate dean for clinical research at the UC College of Medicine, says the clinical trial approval process is being expedited because of the urgent need to find treatments.
Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
"It's what we do," he says. "Now, we are adding dozens upon dozens of additional COVID-19-related clinical trials for patients at UC and UC Health. We have formed an innovation committee, co-chaired by Dr. Fichtenbaum and myself, to determine the scientific merit of each study brought to us, encourage collaboration and strategically focus our clinical research efforts on what will make the biggest contribution."
Kissela adds that being involved with the Mayo protocol, which is part of a national consortium, will make it easier and quicker to open additional trials in the future, building on knowledge gained.
"We will be linked into a national research network, so that when the next trial opens we'll be ready to move forward," he says.
Also, researchers have created a COVID-19 biorepository, or a biological materials collection that processes, stores and distributes specimens to be used in future investigations, which will serve as a resource for more than 50 research groups and departments across UC, further supporting the research mission and goal.
"We are working together to be a force and to combat this disease sooner rather than later," he says.
Current trials include:
- Plasma protocol from the Mayo Clinic.
- A trial examining hydroxychloroquine in patients with severe disease (ORCHID trial).
- A trial designed to treat with a novel antiviral compound that attacks the binding of the virus in the nose and lungs (DAS181 trial).
- A trial examining the drug sirolimus, an FDA approved treatment for patients with a rare lung disease called LAM, for treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Researchers believe it can help regulate the immune response to the virus. This is an investigator-initiated trial and is only being offered at UC (SCOPE trial).
