How medical research improves health care for everyone
MemorialCare is dedicated to advancing medical knowledge and patient care by investing in research and clinical trials. These trials are crucial for developing new treatments, medical devices, and diagnostic tools which significantly enhance patient outcomes. By conducting rigorous research, MemorialCare ensures that the treatments provided are based on solid scientific evidence, keeping them at the forefront of medical innovation and offering the latest and most effective treatments to patients.
“At MemorialCare there are more than 300 ongoing research projects underway in diseases
such as cancer, heart disease, cystic fibrosis, stroke, testing and evaluating treatment and device therapies intended to set higher standards in health care, not just locally, but globally,” said Lauren Privitera, MPH, MS, vice-president of research administration, MemorialCare.
Many of these studies are clinical trials and are part of regional, national and international investigations, and often in collaboration with physicians throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
Clinical trials are research studies designed to learn how well new medical treatments work in people. All clinical trials testing new drugs or devices are reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB).
“The IRB determines if the proposal is well developed and that risks and benefits are defined and balanced,” Privitera said. “If approved, researchers can begin conducting the research.”
“Each potential participant undergoes an informed consent process,” explained Privitera. “This is where the patient can consent to participating in the clinical trial, if they are eligible and interested.”
“It is vital to share the facts,” said Privitera. “We let the patient know what we know about the trial, what the potential risks and potential benefits may be, and what this could mean for them and future patients should they choose to participate in the trial.”
There are many phases to a clinical trial and it can take several years for a product to come to market. Once a clinical trial is complete, the results are analyzed and if there is evidence that the product is safe and effective, the information is provided to the FDA for review and approval for commercial use. If
approved, post market safety monitoring is performed by means of a Phase IV study.
Research has resulted in significant advancements in health care, including the use of the minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as an alternative to open heart surgery.
“It has changed the lives of so many patients since it was first introduced in 2011, most of them older adults who had too high a risk for a traditional heart valve replacement,” Privitera said.
Significant advances in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer include the discovery, through clinical trials, of a drug that releases a powerful cancer-killing agent specifically to cancer cells with a lot of HER2 protein.
MemorialCare will begin enrollment in the All of Us Southern California Consortium (AOUSCC) Research Program, aiming to gather data from one million Americans to accelerate research and improve health by considering individual differences in genes, environment, and lifestyle.
“By creating a database inclusive of demographics and ethnicity, researchers hope to uncover paths toward delivering precision medicine that will benefit every patient equally,” Privitera said.
Drugs and biologics are being developed and introduced as the new standard of care at an unprecedented rate and clinical trial volunteers are a crucial part of efforts to advance medical care.
“People can learn more about our clinical trials by visiting our website,” said Privitera.
Visit memorialcare.org/research to find out more.