| What's
New:
New
Unit Devoted to Clinical Neurology Research
St.
Louis, Oct. 4, 2004 — Clinical trials testing treatments
for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease
and epilepsy soon will be conducted under one roof at
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis,
adding critical mass to the neuroclinical research program
and convenience for patients enrolled in clinical trials.
The
medical school has begun renovating 14,000 square feet
on the ground floor of the McMillan and Irene Walter
Johnson buildings for the neuroclinical research unit
(NCRU). The project is funded by a $1.6 million grant
from the National Institutes of Health and $1.8 million
from the School of Medicine.
Washington
University's neurology program is the second largest
recipient of federal research funds in the nation, and
more than half of those resources support clinical research.
Announcement
of this expanded and centralized clinical trials unit
coincides with release of information about the neurology
department's creation of the Hope Center for Neurological
Disorders, dedicated to basic research on neurological
disorders.
“Our
faculty have made significant contributions to the field
of neuroscience, both in the laboratory and in the clinic,”
says David M. Holtzman, M.D., the Andrew B. and Gretchen
P. Jones Professor and head of the Department of Neurology,
the Charlotte and Paul Hagemann Professor of Neurology,
professor of molecular biology and pharmacology and
neurologist-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “The
NCRU will help us ensure our scientific discoveries
are efficiently and effectively translated into improvements
in patient care.”
Bringing
basic science findings to the patient's bedside is a
cornerstone of BioMed 21, the School of Medicine's strategic
initiative launched last year.
In
addition to patient examination rooms and state-of-the-art
clinical and research equipment, the NCRU will house
offices and work stations for junior faculty, medical
trainees, nurses, study coordinators and other support
staff. Bringing all these resources together will foster
collaboration between scientific teams and provide a
convenient space for study participants, according to
NCRU director Joel S. Perlmutter, M.D.
“We've
always had a huge clinical research effort, but we haven't
had centralized facilities in which to conduct that
research,” says Perlmutter, who is the Elliot Stein
Family Professor of Neurology, professor of radiology
and of physical therapy and an associate professor of
anatomy and neurobiology. “This physical space will
cultivate productive synergies, both of financial resources
and of scientific thoughts and ideas.”
###
Washington
University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer
faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish
and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine
is one of the leading medical research, teaching and
patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked
second in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St.
Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is
linked to BJC HealthCare.
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