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Rheumatology Clinical Research Center
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Clinical Trials
A clinical trial is a formal research study designed to test promising treatments for a disease. It represents the final stage of the long process of drug design and development. A clinical trial follows a very specific protocol that has been reviewed by a variety of individuals and groups including the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UCSF Committee on Human Research. Through participation in clinical trials, lupus patients can help their physicians bring effective and safe treatments for lupus into clinical use.
At UCSF, we are currently conducting several important clinical trials of promising new agents in an effort to determine which may be the safest and most effective in the treatment of lupus. We feel privileged to be able to offer our patients access to new and state-of-the-art treatments in the context of clinical trials. Our studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health and industry. Study protocols include research collaborations with other academic medical centers, the Autoimmune Centers of Excellence, and the Immune Tolerance Network. Please view our listing of active trials for more details about our currently enrolling clinical trials.
Patient participation in trials is vital to our success in bringing new therapies for lupus to daily clinical practice. If you are interested in learning more about clinical trials in lupus or about any of the trials listed below, please contact us at (415) 502-1886.
Currently enrolling Clinical Trials to see
Lupus Clinical Trials Consortium Patient Registry
We are proud to have been selected to be a part of the Lupus Clinical Trials Consortium, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of lupus patients. The Lupus Consortium is composed of 20 academic centers across the United States. For the first time in the history of lupus research, these 20 centers will be coordinating their efforts to create a longitudinal Lupus Registry. Each center will be entering information into the Registry, resulting in one of the largest lupus databases in existence. The information we collect in this registry will help us to answer many fundamental questions about lupus including (1) Which medications are effective for which features of lupus? (2) How do lupus disease manifestations change over the course of time (3) How does lupus differ in various racial/ethnic groups and in different geographical areas?
While registries such as this have been commonly utilized in other conditions such as cancer and heart disease, they have never before been used for lupus. We are thrilled that lupus is finally getting the attention it deserves, and we feel that this is an extraordinary opportunity to advance our understanding of lupus and its treatment.
The registry is an observational study, so no special treatments or drugs will be given. Importantly, no extra patient visits will be required outside of regularly scheduled clinic visits.
Dr. Maria Dall'era is the Center Director and Dr. Jinoos Yazdany is the Clinical Director for the UCSF Lupus Clinical Trials Consortium patient registry. Dr. David Wofsy is the Senior Investigator of this Registry. If you would like to learn more about this registry, please contact Ms. Stephanie Wangler at 415-476-3735.
The California Lupus Surveillance Project
The California Lupus Surveillance Project (CLSP) is a population based effort to determine the true incidence and prevalence of lupus within San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in the San Francisco bay area. This project is being sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and is being performed in conjunction with the California Department of Public Health. Dr. Maria Dall'era is the pricipal Investigator of this project.
The purpose of the CLSP is to document how many people are living with lupus and how quickly new cases are developing in a defined area over a defined period of time. It will also help us understand the public health burden that lupus presents. We will ultimately develop a deeper understanding of the manifestations of lupus and how lupus affects various racial and ethnic groups.
Acting as public health agents under the auspices of the California Department of Public Health, we will identify as many hospitals and practitioners as possible who are providing care to potential cases of lupus. Providers contacted will include rheumatologists, nephrologists, and dermatologists. In addition, patient advocacy groups will also help identify patients and their healthcare providers. Once these providers and hospitals are identified, lupus cases will be validated through medical record review. Trained data abstractors will review medical records and document the presence of the criteria needed to enter a patient into the lupus registry. Other information important to public health surveillance will be collected as well.
For more information about the California Lupus Surveillance Project, please call Ms. Lidia Espino at 415-502-5108.
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