MCA Clinical Trials Program

We are dedicated to building a thriving clinical research hub in West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Our mission is to advance health equity and outcomes by increasing industry-sponsored clinical trial activities in our region. 🤝Clinical Trials Consortium The Clinical Trials Consortium is a forum that fosters dialogue among stakeholders. It organizes, plans, and implements strategies and initatives designed to grow the research community, increase access to cutting-edge medicine, engage local physicians, and create quality job opportunities. It advances commercialization of medical breakthroughs for longer, healthier, and more active lives. 🗣️CTx Briefings A monthly webinar designed to bring investigators and sponsors together to support networking and learning about the latest medical advances and new trial opportunities. 📖Clinical Trial Academy (CTA) Our Clinical Trial Academy nurtures the next generation of clinical researchers through training and education while expanding the number of clinical trial sites in West Texas and Southern New Mexico, paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries and improved healthcare for all. 🌐Clinical Trial Network (CTn) Our Clinical Trial Network facilitates trial referrals among healthcare providers and clinical trial sites in our region. 🌟 Be part of the change. Join us in our mission to revolutionize healthcare, promote diversity, and empower our community. Together, we can shape a future where health equity knows no bounds. #ClinicalTrials #HealthEquity #ResearchHub #Collaboration #MCA #MCAClinicalTrial

Congratulations to The University of Texas at El Paso for obtaining support from the Regents' Research Excellence Program allowing them to recruit 69 new researchers and advance their research-focused areas including cancer therapeutics, AI, and rehab engineering. The funds provided to our local university will also aid to "almost double the number of research faculty at UTEP". We are excited to see UTEP's work and advances in research! Learn more at the link below: https://hubs.li/Q02MzkGX0

BioNTech SE's lung cancer vaccine, BNT116, has now begun Phase I clinical trials across 34 investigational sites in Spain, Turkey, Hungary, Germany, Poland, the UK, and the US! This vaccine is intended to target non-small cell lung cancer (the most prominent form of lung cancer) in patients from early-stage to late-stage to recurrent lung cancer. About 130 individuals will be enrolled in the study with the purpose of strengthening their immune system response to cancer WITHOUT damaging healthy cells in the process. The vaccine works by "presenting the immune system with tumor markers from non-small cell lung cancer". What a beneficial innovation in oncology research! Learn more at the link below: https://hubs.li/Q02Mrnx70

Eli Lilly and Company's Phase III trial, SURMOUNT-1, showed positive results for their blockbuster drug, Zepbound (tirzepatide), to prevent Type 2 diabetes progression in overweight patients. The trial enrolled 1,032 pre-diabetic participants and collected 3-year data on the drug's effect on the patients. After 3 years of treatment, pre-diabetic patients had a 94% reduction in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when compared to placebo patients. Additionally, Zepbound proved to induce significant weight loss in the participants after the 3 years. The cohort taking 5 mg of the drug had an average weight loss reduction of 15.4%, followed by the cohort taking 10 mg showing an average of 19.9%, and the cohort taking 15 mg with an average of 22.9%. Results indicate the higher the drug dosage, the higher the patient's weight loss. Learn more at the link below! https://hubs.li/Q02M5RM_0

This was a memorable event! Our region has a lot to celebrate, and it is fun to come together to witness the momentum and the excitement around the growth and diversification of our region's clinical research ecosystem. Congratulations again to our 37 CRC and 18 PI/Sub-I CTA graduates! Please stay in touch and let us know if we can assist in any way navigating your next step which is to obtain the on-the-job training you need to fully enter the clinical research profession. As always, we wish to thank our program partner, the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), and our sustaining sponsors - Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), El Paso County, and the City of El Paso for making the MCA's CTA program a priority. Your support and contribution to this program is vital to our continued success and is why our program is now being recognized nationally for its achievements.

Congratulations to Maggy Hayes, the Innovation Center's intern at the MCA, for completing the CRC course and being a part of our summer CTA graduates! We are excited to see her success moving forward, best of luck!

Last Wednesday we held our CTA graduation and networking mixer at the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation Cardwell Collaborative with 37 CRCs and 18 PIs graduating! 🎓🎉 Before the graduation ceremony, graduates and their families had the opportunity to network and connect with two local investigator sites. Abraham Arzola, Co-Founder and Site Director for El Paso Clinical Trials, and Joshua Ortiz-Guzman, PhD, Director of Clinical Research at RIO GRANDE UROLOGY, P.A. partnered with the MCA to provide graduates with information about their sites in addition to making favorable business connections. Both sites have now hired previous CTA graduates as CRCs! Paola Delgado (CRC at RGU) and Miguel Carrillo (CRC at EPCT) spoke to the audience about their journeys in the clinical research workforce after the CTA and the consistency and tenacity required to enter the field. Graduates also heard from Emmanuel Gorospe MD, MPH, CPI, ACRP-CP, FACP, FACG, FASGE, Medical Director of Castle Biosciences, Inc. and Co-Founder of McAllen Research, about his journey in the medical and clinical research fields and encouraged them to keep working for success as it is not always a clear path ahead. Thank you to everyone who participated in this event and helped make it possible, including our instructors and sites present willing to guide graduates in the right direction. We are very proud of our new PI and CRC graduates and are confident they have the skills to enter the clinical research industry. Congratulations!!!🎉 The course was made possible through a partnership with the MCA and ACRP - Association of Clinical Research Professionals, sponsorships by Bristol Myers Squibb and The City of El Paso Texas, and a federal grant awarded to the MCA, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), funded by El Paso County.

Dengue fever, aka break-bone fever, is a viral infection commonly spread from mosquitos to people present in many countries globally, including Asia. The infection doesn't always cause symptoms, but those who do have experience rashes, body aches, and high fever among others. Currently there is no specific treatment for Dengue, only symptom control and severe cases of it could be fatal. Panacea Biotec, a global generic and specialty pharmaceutical and vaccine maker, and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will be conducting a Phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy of "India's indigenous tetravalent dengue vaccine, DengiAll". The trial will be run across 19 sites in 18 Union Territories and States of India involving more than 10,000 adult participants. Learn more at the link below: https://hubs.li/Q02LlXgk0

Safety Shot has announced their findings of their clinical trial evaluating the acute impact of consuming Safety Shot for reduced blood alcohol content (BAC) post-alcohol consumption conducted at The Center for Applied Health Sciences. The study was double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled showing statistically significant differences in BAC just after 30 min of consuming Safety Shot! There was a difference in the reduction rate of alcohol from the body of about 30-50% in individuals ages 24-46 years and bodyweights of 95-225 lbs. Physically, participants also experienced increased consciousness and concentration making them more alert. Safety Shot proved it also reduces the breath alcohol content, making it the "the world's first alcohol detoxifier that reduces blood alcohol content in as little as 30 minutes" designed for "better outcomes in post-alcohol consumption". What an interesting study! Learn more at the link below: https://hubs.li/Q02L28X80

Scientists at our local university, The University of Texas at El Paso, conducted a study testing the behavioral effects of drinking alcohol in different social settings; solitary vs. in a group using fruit flies. Although one may initially think humans and fruit flies have nothing in common, Kyung-An Han, PhD, and UTEP biologist, explains they "share about 75% of the same genes that cause human disease". In this study, they wanted to show the effect of ethanol under different social experiences and the role dopamine plays in such situations. Fruit flies were exposed to ethanol vapor showing the solitary fly experienced a small increase in movement as opposed to the fruit flies in a group with significant increases in speed and movement. Then they used a control group with normal dopamine levels to compare ethanol's effect with increased dopamine levels. Results showed the solitary fly had a minimal increase in activity when compared to those in a group that had high hyperactivity, therefore proving "social setting and dopamine act together for the flies heightened response to ethanol" as stated by Han. What an interesting study showing us how "social drinking boosts euphoria". Read more about their work below: https://hubs.li/Q02KSg420