Clinical Trial Network Removes Barriers Common to Studies of Neurological Diseases

Journal of American Medical Association: Bridget M. Kuehn – Feb 15, 2012.

KEYWORDS: biological markers, clinical trials as topic, national institute of neurological disorders and stroke, nervous system diseases, spinal muscular atrophies of childhood.

With more than 600 neurological diseases—many of them rare—under its purview, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) faces unique challenges in translating the findings from basic research into clinical practice. Completing clinical trials at individual academic centers is not possible, as patient populations are often scattered across the country. Yet creating a temporary consortium of clinical sites for each new trial, the traditional approach to multicenter trials, can be slow and inefficient. Additionally, industry has been somewhat reluctant to fund clinical trials in this area, according to Petra Kaufmann, MD, PhD, a neurologist and director of the office of clinical research at NINDS.  Read Full Article