Clinical trials office lauded as West Nile study wraps up

From left: Mark Rupp, M.D., Josh Widerman, Ketie Delaney, Mary Ann Martin, Kelly Lundgren, Erin Reed, Jennifer Cavalieri and Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., at a recent ceremony to commemorate the completion of a West Nile Virus study at The Nebraska Medical Center.

Mark Rupp, infectious diseases specialist at UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center, recently praised the hospital’s Clinical Trials Office for its efforts during a four-year study of West Nile Virus.

The study — which recently wrapped up — was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and held at several sites around the United States and Canada. It examined genetic factors that may explain why some people are severely affected by West Nile Virus while others are not.

By helping to gather more than 850 subjects, completing much of the study’s administrative work and handling various other tasks, the CTO proved invaluable over the four years that the study was conducted, Dr. Rupp said.

UNMC Vice Chancellor for Research Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., echoed Dr. Rupp’s sentiments and urged medical center investigators to use the CTO when conducting clinical trials.

“The CTO is a powerful resource and our investigators should take advantage of it when conducting clinical trials,” Dr. Rosenquist said.

Results from the study will be compiled and published at a later date.