Results from clinical trials performed at Meridian Clinical Research (now Velocity Clinical Research) sites in Norfolk, NE, Omaha, NE, and Savannah, GA, were recently published in two prestigious medical journals.
Brandon Essink, MD, CPI, co-authored an article published in Vaccine. Dr. Essink led a study at the company’s Omaha site as part of a successful clinical trial for a vaccine found to provide broad protection against meningococcal disease (meningitis).
“This was a great outcome,” said Dr. Essink. “We work on trials like these for years through numerous phases, so it’s rewarding to see promising results in the clinic and know they could contribute to a better standard of care.”
Keith Vrbicky, MD, (Norfolk) and Paul Bradley, MD, (Savannah) also co-authored an article published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research earlier this year. The article included results from a clinical trial of a diagnostic test for patients with depression and/or anxiety. The test analyzes genetic material from an inner-cheek swab to help physicians determine which medications may be most beneficial for specific patients.
“This is an excellent step toward making personalized medicine commercially available,” said Dr. Vrbicky, who is also Meridian’s international medical director. “As therapies advance, so to should our understanding of how an individual’s genes can affect their response to therapies. This is how we treat the person and not just the population with which they’re associated.”
Results from several other investigational product studies run by Meridian — including work on a smallpox vaccine and a hyperhidrosis product — have been presented at major academic and industry events in 2018.
“When we can provide evidence to help the academic community vet potential treatments, we can help pharmaceutical companies move products through the development pipeline faster,” said Dr. Bradley. “Our principal investigators are heavily interested in the clinical trials they oversee and the larger research community, which is a major asset for pharmaceutical sponsors.”
