Basic and Translational Research Program (BTRP) and the Clinical Trials Consortium (CTC)

Helping discover curative therapies and improvements in treatments

The Basic and Translational Research Program (BTRP) for sickle cell disease is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to focus on “bench-to-bedside” research in sickle cell disease. Twenty research studies have been funded at 12 institutions. The BTRP program began in April 2008 and will continue through March 2012. Additionally, each institution will offer a Scholar Program to support a young investigator’s research in this field.

Clinical Trials Consortium

The Clinical Trials Consortium (CTC) for sickle cell disease is supported by NHLBI to complete four multicenter studies that began in the last funding cycle of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers (CSCC) program. Approximately 30 sites are participating in at least one of these four trials. These studies include CHAMPS (Effectiveness of Hydroxyurea and Magnesium Pidolate Alone and in Combination in Hemoglobin SC Disease) and Neuropsych II (a Randomized Pilot Study of the Impact of Transfusion on Cognitive Function in Adults with SCD). Funding is expected to continue for these studies until March 2012.

As head of the statistical and data coordinating center for both of these networks, Rho provides operational and statistical leadership, protocol development, case report form development, site management, clinical monitoring, clinical data management, data monitoring committee and steering committee support, progress and statistical reporting, and final clinical study report and manuscript preparation. Karen Kesler (Ph.D., Assistant Director) is the principal investigator (PI) for these coordinating centers, and the study is sponsored by the NHLBI.

For more information about this research from ClinicalTrials.gov, please see below.