By Jennifer Bonck

“We are excited about the future of our facility and look forward to our continued efforts at UK. We hope to establish and maintain a competitive, state-of-the-art clinical research program to support health care in the Commonwealth.”

John S. Thompson, M.D., assistant vice president, UKCRO

Oct. 2 , 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) -- The University of Kentucky Clinical Research Organization (UKCRO) and the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) had an official open house for their new clinical research space. Attendees, including UK faculty and staff, were invited to tour the organization’s new facilities and meet the researchers that utilize them.

The new facilities are integral to providing clinical and translational research faculty and staff with the support to facilitate access to outstanding clinical research trials to the citizens of Kentucky.

“We are excited about the future of our facility and look forward to our continued efforts at UK,” said John S. Thompson, M.D., assistant vice president, UKCRO. “We hope to establish and maintain a competitive, state-of-the-art clinical research program to support health care in the Commonwealth.”

The fully functional research clinic has research personnel available to provide study coordination services for inpatient and outpatient trials. Thus far, the clinical research program at UK has provided research space and support to over 400 investigators.

Currently, investigators use the space to study cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, among other conditions. Paolo Fanti, M.D., associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine, UK College of Medicine, is one of these investigators. Fanti is the principal investigator in a clinical trial studying intervention in the prevention of diabetes mellitus.

The six-year pharmaceutical study is actively recruiting individuals more than 50 years old and at risk for developing type II diabetes. The intervention consists of randomization of subjects to take both, one, or none of two medications. One is a blood pressure reducing agent that also has very promising protective action from cholesterol plague formation in blood vessels. The other is a blood glucose reducing agent.

In addition to pharmaceutical intervention, all subjects will receive general health advice and follow-up care, with an emphasis on healthy diet and exercise. The study is sponsored by Novartis Inc.

For more information about this study, and others at the GCRC and UKCRO, please call (859) 323-6481 or (859) 323-1751.