UNMC is having great success recruiting subjects for two National Institutes of Health multicenter trials being overseen by Cyrus Desouza, M.B.B.S., chief of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism (DEM).
Dr. DeSouza is the site director for both trials.
The study for people with type 2 diabetes is called GRADE (Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study). The study is headed by Harvard University and includes 45 clinical sites in the U.S.
The study will follow participants over seven years and will compare the long-term benefits and risks of four widely used diabetes drugs in combination with Metformin, the most common first-line medication for type 2 diabetes.
The goal is to determine which combination of two diabetes medications is best for achieving good glycemic control, has the fewest side effects, and is most beneficial for long-term treatment of type 2 diabetes.
The study for people with pre-diabetes is called D2d. It is headed by Tufts Medical Center in Boston, and UNMC is one of 22 participating sites around the country.
The study investigates if vitamin D supplementation helps prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in adults who are pre-diabetic.
The UNMC site, which includes the Omaha VA, is now ranked second out of the 43 sites for the GRADE trial and third out of 22 sites for the D2d trial. Recruitment for the D2d is completed but the GRADE trial is still going.
“Currently we have 175 subjects in D2d and 178 in GRADE. We think we will hit 200 in GRADE,” Dr. Desouza said.
“This really is big news, and in light of the fact that recruitment for clinical trials is a key outcome measure for UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, it is particularly relevant,” said Christopher Kratochvil, M.D., UNMC associate vice chancellor for clinical research and vice president for research for Nebraska Medicine.
Congratulations!