Medicine and clinical research technology have been progressing at breakneck speed, and producing some exciting results. New emergences from medical research teams tackling multiple sclerosis (MS) and epilepsy are painting a promising picture of the future. Professionals working in clinical research are consistently involved in the evolution of medicine. The following are a few examples of some exciting new developments in clinical research that may change lives and improve the health of many Canadians.
Read on to discover some new life-saving discoveries made in clinical research!
1. A New High-Risk Therapy for Those with MS Created by Pros in Clinical Research Careers
Two researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, Dr. Mark Freedman and Dr. Harold Atkins, studied 24 patients over 13 years in a new study that used a combination of stem cell transplants and chemotherapy in a procedure called immonoablation and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (IAHSCT).
The new research, which was published this summer in the medical journal The Lancet, proposes that this new method can halt the progression of multiple sclerosis. The process involves the harvesting of stem cells from bone morrow, then subjecting patients to large doses of chemotherapy drugs, followed by returning the stem cells to the patient. According to the results published in The Lancet, the treatment healed all 23 of the patients tested and halted the development of any new disease growth after the process.
2. MS Research from Pros with Clinical Research Careers Show Genes Play a Role in MS
Canadian scientist Dessa Sadovnick discovered that genetics play a big part in the emergence of multiple sclerosis. As a result, professionals with clinical research careers now know that studying the genetics of MS sufferers may provide some clues as to how the disease develops. This summer, researchers think they might have found a gene that mutates to cause a rare form of MS that is actually inherited. This type of MS is the most severe kind that someone can suffer from and affects 15 per cent of patients.
New research is looking at which gene mutations produce multiple sclerosis
3. Exciting Epilepsy Research from Those with Clinical Research Careers
Those with clinical research training can tell you it takes a long time to bring drugs to market, and the new BRIVLERA™ epilepsy drug is no exception, as the drug was approved by Health Canada in March of 2016, and is the result of over eight years of clinical trials which included over 2,400 adult patients. According to Epilepsy Canada about 0.6 per cent of the Canadian population is affected by epilepsy, and globally the disorder effects about 65 million people, and so any new medication that can come to market is a welcomed addition.
Recently, just that has happened, as UCB Canada Inc., a global biopharma company focused on severe diseases, has made BRIVLERA™ available for those who suffer from partial-onset seizures. If used in conjunction with other medications, it can drastically reduce the negative effects of seizures.
Pros with clinical research careers know it takes a lot of research before a drug can come to market
Want to discover how clinical research courses can put you in a position to help alleviate the suffering of fellow Canadians?
Contact an advisor today to discover more!