The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke are hosting a week-long training session designed to create a new generation of researchers with the specialized skills necessary to conduct clinical trials in neurological disorders.
The session, which is titled the “Clinical Trial Methods Course in Neurology,” is part of a push on the part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to beef up the nation’s translational research capabilities by increasing the ranks of clinical researchers and focusing more resources on clinical research skills, technologies, and systems that will accelerate medical discoveries.
“Neurological disorders are a critical area of need in terms of expanding our ability to design and conduct trials that have maximum efficiency at the lowest possible cost,” said URMC neurologist Bernard Ravina, M.D., the director of the course. “Participants in this course consist of a select group of individuals who are committed to being clinical researchers and conducting clinical trials and will benefit from hands-on training that they really cannot get anywhere else.”
Because many neurological disorders are linked with age, the prevalence of these diseases is projected to increase precipitously in the coming years, hence the NIH’s determination to grow research capacity in this area. For example, the number of people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. will grow by an estimated 70% by 2030 and the number Parkinson’s cases are projected to double during that same period.
The week-long course will consist of intensive training for fellows and early-stage faculty which will both introduce investigators to the fundamentals of effective clinical trial design and conduct. At the end of the week, each participant will have essentially created a protocol for a new clinical trial.