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Medical researchers gather to share information
Written by Scott Davis, The Saginaw News
Members of the Tri-Cities' research community have launched their latest
project -- getting to know one another.
About 20 research coordinators and administrative staff, representing
mostly hospitals and cardiology and oncology physician groups, grabbed chairs
and met one another in the first "Research Round Table" at Michigan
Cardiovascular Institute, 1015 S. Washington in Saginaw.
The meeting's topic was rather dry -- billing procedures used in federal
clinical trials -- but organizers say the long-term goal is for researchers to
share more information.
"It's an exciting time. There is a lot of research going on (in the
area)," said the gathering's organizer, Kathleen Mostek, clinical director of
MCVI's State of the Heart Research Program. "We've always had close
communication, but we haven't always been able to talk face-to-face."
For many years, Covenant HealthCare and Saint Mary's hospitals have served
as centers in Michigan for federal clinical trials, testing a variety of
oncology and heart treatments on patient volunteers.
Others institutes represented included Synergy Medical Education Alliance
in Saginaw, Saginaw Valley State University, Bay Regional Medical Center in Bay
City and Spectrum Health System in Grand Rapids.
MCVI alone has 50 clinical trials under way, researching new medications
for open-heart surgery, newly advanced pacemakers, wound closure devices used in
angioplasty and new blood pressure and cholesterol medications, Mostek said.
Moreover, the Field Neurosciences Institute in Saginaw Township has become
a major research center. Projects include new treatments using adult stem cells
gleaned from umbilical cords and seeking a cure for glioblastoma, a cancer of
the brain.
Some physicians are even conducting their own research. Dr. Luigi Maresca,
a cardiovascular surgeon at MCVI, is doing a study on the pros and cons of using
a heart pump during open heart surgery, Mostek said.
She said many people are unaware of the millions of dollars spent by
pharmaceuticals annually to develop new life saving drugs; clinical trials,
including local studies, are a key part of that process.
"It takes years to get a good drug out," Mostek said. "People in Saginaw
are a part of that (in trials)."
She said she hoped the "Round Table" will meet twice a year.