Clinical trials — partnering with patients to improve lives

Jeffrey needs a pacemaker to regulate his slow heartbeat.

Mark, who has Type 2 diabetes, is having trouble regulating his glucose levels.

Diana is seeking relief from brain fog and hot flashes associated with postmenopause.

Three unique individuals.

Three unique medical stories.

What unites them? Each is participating in a Keck Medicine of USC clinical trial that offers them an innovative intervention and new hope.

Keck Medicine is dedicated to furthering the next generation of diagnostics, therapies and medical preventions, and one way we do this is through our robust clinical trials. Clinical trials allow us to identify new ways to detect, treat and prevent disease for not only our current patients but future ones as well.

Keck Medicine is currently conducting more than 640 clinical trials for a wide range of medical conditions, such as cancer, strokes and cardiovascular disease. Some studies are supported by the National Institutes of Health and other external organizations; others are initiated by our researchers and physicians.

Not only do we offer clinical trials at Keck Medical Center of USC, but also at our clinics in Newport Beach and Koreatown. Additionally, USC Arcadia Hospital will be launching clinical trials for stroke patients this spring.

We are dedicated to bringing potentially life-saving therapies and preventive interventions to our communities, including studies tailored for populations historically underrepresented in clinical trials.

One Koreatown clinical trial is testing the efficacy of a drug for a specific type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) associated with a gene mutation that occurs in 18% of NSCLC patients in the United States, but in 50% of NSCLC patients of Asian descent. This trial in particular allows us to offer the local community convenient access to a study addressing an issue that disproportionately affects the Asian community.

It is crucial that clinical trials enroll individuals from diverse backgrounds to better understand the risks and benefits novel interventions can bring to different populations. Toward that end, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has a program to help diverse populations access cancer clinical trials. The program is funded by a two-year, $550,000 grant from Stand Up To Cancer, an organization that funds cancer research.

We are also excited to offer fully remote clinical trials so people can receive potentially cutting-edge interventions from the comfort of their homes, continuing our commitment to make participation in clinical trials as easy and efficient as possible for everyone.

Bringing a new drug or therapy into the marketplace is a long process, as it can take anywhere from 10-20 years from discovery to testing and approval. By participating in clinical trials, our patients can help speed up this process for everyone and may benefit directly in the meantime.

As a clinical trial participant, Jeffrey received a wireless dual pacemaker, a small capsule implanted in a lower chamber of his heart and paired with another device in an upper chamber of his heart. The two devices “communicate” with each other, transmitting tiny electrical pulses to keep the heart beating properly in synchrony. This new technology is less invasive and causes fewer side effects than a traditional pacemaker. Today, Jeffrey’s heart beats at a normal rate.

Mark, who has struggled to regulate his blood glucose levels since he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2015, is hopeful that a new procedure to control his blood glucose levels through a non-surgical, endoscopic procedure will ease his condition.

And Diana is participating in a trial investigating the effects of a unique FDA-approved hormone replacement therapy on atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), cognitive function and other postmenopausal health issues. By being part of the study, she feels she is making a difference in the lives of women.

I am thankful for everyone at Keck Medicine, including the participants, involved in clinical trials. These studies are a wonderful alchemy of talent because they require the expertise and collaboration of our practitioners and our researchers as they work together as well as with other health systems and hospitals across the country and internationally.

And it is this collaboration that offers hope and potentially improved quality of life and health outcomes for Jeffrey, Mark, Diana and so many others.