BIOE 301Lecture Twenty:Clinical TrialsMike [email protected] of Today Review of Last Time (Heart Disease) What is a Clinical Trial? Clinical Trial Data and Reporting Clinical Trial Example: Artificial Heart Clinical Trial Example: Vitamin E Planning a Clinical TrialREVIEW OF LAST TIMEProgression of Heart DiseaseHigh Blood PressureHigh Cholesterol LevelsAtherosclerosisIschemiaHeart AttackHeart FailureHeart Failure Review What is heart failure? Occurs when left or right ventricle loses the ability to keep up with amount of blood flow http://www.kumc.edu/kumcpeds/cardiology/movies/sssmovies/dilcardiomyopsss.html How do we treat heart failure? Heart transplant Rejection, inadequate supply of donor hearts LVAD Can delay progression of heart failure Artificial heartWhich one is a healthy heart?Heart Failure Heart FailureHealthy Heart Atrial Fibrilationhttp://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/artificial-heart-abiocor-diagram.gifhttp://www.ps-lk3.de/images/ABIOCOR.JPGCLINICAL TRIALSTake-Home Message Clinical trials allow us to measure the difference between two groups of human subjects There will always be some difference between selected groups By using statistics and a well designed study, we can know if that difference is meaningful or notScience of Understanding DiseaseEmerging Health TechnologiesPreclinical TestingClinical TrialsAdoption & DiffusionAbandoned due to:• poor performance• safety concerns• ethical concerns• legal issues• social issues• economic issuesBioengineeringEthics of researchCost-EffectivenessClinical StudiesEpidemiologic Clinical TrialsObservationalControlledTwo-ArmSingle-ArmTypes of Clinical Studies Epidemiologic - Hypothesis Generation Observe a group of patients and look for common factors AIDS in the 1980s Dr. Snow and the Broad St. Pump Clinical Trial - Hypothesis Testing Determine the difference, if any, between two groups of patientsTypes of Clinical Trials Observational Studies Observe two groups already existing, and review data to determine differing factors between groups Ex. What behaviors are prevalent in lung cancer patients but not in those without the disease Problems – Bias, and lack of control Controlled Study Introduce difference between two selected groupsSingle and Two Arm Studies Single-Arm Study Give treatment to all patients Compare outcome before and after treatment for each patient Can also compare against literature value Two Arm Study Split patients in trial into a control group and an experimental group Can blind study to prevent the placebo affectPhases of Clinical Trials Phase I Assess safety of drug on 20-80 healthy volunteers Phase II Drug given to larger group of patients (100-300) and both safety and efficacy are monitored Phase III Very large study monitoring side affects as well as effectiveness versus standard treatments Phase IV (Post-Market Surveillance) Searches for additional drug affects after drug has gone to marketCLINICAL TRIAL DATA AND REPORTINGExamples of Biological Data Continuously variable Core body temperature, height, weight, blood pressure, age Discrete Mortality, gender, blood type, genotype, pain levelBiological Variability Variability Most biological measurement vary greatly from person to person, or even within the same person at different times The Challenge We need some way of knowing that the differences we’re seeing are due to the factors we want to test and not some other effect or random chance.Descriptive Statistics Mode Most common value Mean Standard Deviation∑==n1iinxx∑=−=n1i2n)x(xσExample: Blood Pressure Measurement Get into groups of 4 and take each others blood pressure for the next 5-10min Reporting In those same groups, calculate the mean, mode and standard deviation of the class Analysis Is the data normally distributed? Is there a difference between sides of the classroom? Does it mean anything?EXAMPLE: ABIOCOR TRIALClinical Trial of AbioCor Goals of Initial Clinical Trial Determine whether AbioCor™ can extend life with acceptable quality for patients with less than 30 days to live and no other therapeutic alternative To learn what we need to know to deliver the next generation of AbioCor, to treat a broader patient population for longer life and improving quality of life.Clinical Trial of AbioCor Patient Inclusion Criteria (highlights) Bi-ventricular heart failure Greater than eighteen years old High likelihood of dying within the next thirty days Unresponsive to maximum existing therapies Ineligible for cardiac transplantation Successful AbioFit™ analysis Patient Exclusion Criteria (highlights) Heart failure with significant potential for reversibility Life expectancy >30 days Serious non-cardiac disease Pregnancy Psychiatric illness (including drug or alcohol abuse) Inadequate social support systemClinical Trial of AbioCor Clinical Trial Endpoints All-cause mortality through sixty days Quality of Life measurements Repeat QOL assessments at 30-day intervals until death Number of patients Initial authorization for five (5) implants Expands to fifteen (15) patients in increments of five (5) if 60-day experience is satisfactory to FDAConsent Form Link to Consent Form: http://www.sskrplaw.com/gene/quinn/informedconsent.pdf Link to other Documents about lawsuit http://www.sskrplaw.com/gene/quinn/index.htmlEXAMPLE: VITAMIN EThe Study Pilot Study In the early 1990’s, small study done which showed taking vitamin E reduced risk of heart disease Regularly taking high doses shown to reduce risk by up to 40% Media Coverage These studies received huge amounts of coverage in the mediaFollow-Up 1996 Study compared 1,035 patients on vitamin E and 967 on placebo Demonstrated a positive effect of the vitamin 2000 Very large study (9,541 patients) shows vitamin E has no effect Study tracked patients for 7 years and found evidence that vitamin E in large doses might actually be harmfulPLANNING A CLINICAL TRIALPlanning a Clinical Trial Two arms: Treatment group Control group Outcome: Primary outcome Secondary outcomes Sample size: Want to ensure that any differences between treatment and control group are real Must
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