Feature
Reachable research
How the IR Clinical Trial Network is creating research pathways
IRs who would like to have participated in trials and studies, however, have found the entry into research to be daunting.
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“We need to prove our procedures are effective and safe, and we need quality studies in order to do so,” said Jeremy C. Durack, MD, MS, FSIR. But research education and knowledge are difficult to acquire, he says, and finding funding, sites and support resources can be even harder. This, in turn, makes it difficult to produce rigorous scientific investigation that provides evidence supporting the efficacy of IR therapies.
“My research learning curve was steep,” said Suresh Vedantham, MD,
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or many years, the research community has been a small, yet relentless, arm of interventional radiology. Many
FSIR. “There wasn’t an easy way to start, and most of my mentors came from outside of IR. We need to change that. We want to make the clinical research learning curve as easy as it can be.”
Part of the answer may lie in the new IR Clinical Trials Network (IR CTN). Designed to create, promote and facilitate the development of clinical trials, the IR CTN is part of ongoing efforts to cultivate a culture of research in IR.
“The mission of the IR CTN is to enhance rigorous scientific investigation into new IR techniques, devices, practice models and innovative procedures to improve patient outcomes and access to care,” said Sanjay Misra, MD, FSIR. Dr. Misra, along with Drs. Vedantham, Durack, and Katharine L. Krol, MD, FSIR, has been one of the guiding forces behind the IR CTN. Dr. Misra has worked with SIR Foundation for the past 2 years to bring the network to life after realizing how underrepresented IR is, both in terms of clinical networks and in the general awareness of those on review panels at organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“The concept for a framework to increase quality and volume of IR research has been around for many years,” said Dr. Durack. “Then came Dr. Misra and his idea for this network. He is a standout researcher and has interacted with countless other societies, funding organizations and the NIH. He’s highly aware of the CTNs that other specialties have, as well as the need for one in IR.”
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