Research Press Releases COVID-19 CCTSI
Though many Coloradans are proceeding as though the COVID-19 pandemic is over, the virus continues to circulate, evolve and have an impact—especially for older adults and those with underlying medical conditions. Furthermore, because of the evolution of variants, doctors have fewer treatment options.
Initial findings from a study of nearly 10,000 Americans, many of whom had COVID-19, have uncovered new details about long COVID, the post-infection set of conditions that can affect nearly every tissue and organ in the body. Clinical symptoms can vary and include fatigue, brain fog and dizziness and can last for months or years after a person has COVID-19.
A 15-year, multicenter study has changed the course of care for youth with type 2 diabetes, enhancing treatments for this growing population and illustrating the scope of the work conducted on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Called Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents & Youth (TODAY), the massive clinical trial included 699 participants and was led nationally by Phil Zeitler, MD, professor, pediatrics-endocrinology, University of Colorado School of Medicine.
This month, Barbara Hammack, PhD is retiring after dedicating 23 years to clinical research at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. After receiving her PhD in theoretical biophysics, she took a fellowship in the Department of Neurology, investigating Multiple Sclerosis and its causes. A few years later, she worked on studies related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and complications from shingles.
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus celebrated the global Rare Disease Day on February 28 with an event that highlighted the campus' strengths in diagnosing and treating rare diseases and explored a vision for creating a regional rare disease hub.
Research Press Releases COVID-19 CCTSI
Though many Coloradans are proceeding as though the COVID-19 pandemic is over, the virus continues to circulate, evolve and have an impact—especially for older adults and those with underlying medical conditions. Furthermore, because of the evolution of variants, doctors have fewer treatment options.
In terms of science, 2022 was an extraordinary year. Nuclear fusion finally made more energy than it used. NASA scientists intentionally smacked into an asteroid with a spacecraft, altering its orbit and illustrating a strategy that could one day save humanity. And evolutionary biologists observed bumble bees rolling small wooden balls around for no other reason than to have fun.
Ronald J. Sokol, MD has been named a University of Colorado Distinguished Professor. Distinguished Professor is a title signifying the highest honor awarded to faculty across the CU system’s four campuses. CU Distinguished Professors are tenured faculty members who demonstrate exemplary performance in research or creative work; a record of excellence in promoting learning and student attainment of knowledge and skills; and outstanding service to the profession, the university and its affiliates.
While artificial intelligence (AI) is not a new concept in science, in the last decade, the clinical research community has seen tremendous growth in this area. At the 12th Annual Research Ethics Conference, researchers, members of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and ethicists gathered in person and via Zoom to discuss AI's expanding role in research.
Research Genetics CCTSI rare disease
You probably learned about cilia in high school biology class. The tiny hairlike structures line our nasal passages, ears and airways. Children born with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a rare inherited disease, have problems with the cilia that prevent them from moving mucus and inhaled particles and germs out of their airways, causing mucus to build up, leading to ear, sinus and lung infections.
Clinical Research Geriatrics CCTSI
Clinical research is one of the primary reasons the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a nationally renowned healthcare destination. Yet in 2019, only 25% of CU Anschutz adult clinical trials enrolled even one participant over age 50. Study results may not apply to unrepresented populations, so the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires clinical research to include individuals across the life span.
Two years ago, many of us had never worked from home. Our research required the use of a laboratory, or interaction with colleagues, patients or communities. Our teaching and mentoring required face-to-face interaction with students or trainees. The COVID-19 pandemic turned all this upside down. In March 2020, tens of millions of American workers were instructed to work from home to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. University campuses and healthcare systems closed academic offices and laboratories and directed scientists and staff to continue their work remotely if possible. We did not think this would last for long. However, here we are over two years later, and remote/hybrid (some office, some home) work continues for many.
Health equity Clinical Research
Research in health equity and social determinants seeks to understand disparities and affect real change, yet the national data collection systems investigators rely on for their work are incomplete and hardwired for structural racism, Shale Wong, MD, MSPH, told attendees of the 10th annual Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute academic summit on Sept. 14.
Mental Health Clinical Research
As the nation reels from a substance abuse crisis that’s shattering lives every day, scientists and clinicians across the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus work diligently in their labs and clinics, hoping to prevent tragedies of addiction.
Melissa Haendel, PhD, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and her team of data scientists have been working at a lightning-fast pace for two years, unlocking some of the mysteries of long COVID. Not only have they been instrumental in the development of the largest national, publicly available HIPAA-limited dataset in U.S. history – the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) – but their research using the data is making headlines and getting the attention of the White House.
Our mission at the CCTSI is to help build research teams of the future, speed the development of new treatments and improve human health. Pediatric oncologist and researcher Dr. Mike Verneris exemplifies this mission through his work with the Consortium for Pediatric Cellular Immunotherapy (CPCI). It’s a mouthful, but the gist of it is a group of five children’s hospitals (and their research institutes like the CCTSI) are working together to share deep and specialized knowledge about developing cellular therapy to treat cancers and other pediatric illnesses.
The massive volume of messages we all have received about COVID-19 led the World Health Organization to coin the term “infodemic”: too much information, including false or misleading messages, in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak. Though academics will be studying the toll of this misinformation for many years to come, we know it has been massive.
Ten years ago, people with cystic fibrosis (CF) celebrated when the FDA approved ivacaftor, the first drug designed to target the defective protein that causes the disease. CF is an inherited disorder that inflicts severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body. Since then, several additional drugs that use a similar mechanism have been approved by the FDA for CF.
The Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) is pleased to announce that Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, will assume the role as the new leader of its research ethics program. Marilyn Coors, PhD, who served in this role since 2010, recently retired from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. DeCamp is associate professor in the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and Division of General Internal Medicine in the School of Medicine.
When Marilyn Coors, PhD, took a job as an assistant professor in the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, she had a vision. She wanted the center to become an integral part of the operation of science, research and teaching on the state’s top medical campus. Today, more than 21 years later, it is clear her vision has been realized.
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a team of researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus significantly advances the understanding of a key aspect of the immune system during COVID-19: the interferon response.
Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado), the University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU School of Medicine) and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU Anschutz Campus) are announcing that Ronald J. Sokol, MD, will become the inaugural Chief Scientific Officer, Child Health, effective May 1, 2022. As an experienced research leader and expert in pediatric liver disease and transplantation, Dr. Sokol will help formalize a joint research enterprise across the CU Anschutz Campus to promote discovery and increase understanding of childhood diseases, while also advancing clinical care to improve health across the entire lifespan.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has invested nearly $470 million to build a national study population of diverse research volunteers and support large-scale studies on the long-term effects of COVID-19. The Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) is playing a major role in the initiative called REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery or RECOVER.
You never know when inspiration will strike. For biostatistician Conner Jackson, MS, his inspiration was a pet tortoise named Pietro. Pietro’s owner insisted the tortoise could predict the weather through his behavior. The topic came up in a Zoom meeting one day and Jackson was captivated. “I expected everyone to say, ‘we should look into that!'"
The CCTSI Pilot Grant Program is probably the best-known of our CCTSI offerings. Yet, word on the street is that securing a pilot grant can be challenging. These one-year awards are certainly competitive—and we believe they are essential to catalyzing and accelerating translational research in Colorado. Our goal is to enable junior investigators, technology-experienced scientists and community-collaborative researchers to jumpstart their ideas, generate data, develop technologies for larger grants, clinical trials and ultimately improve patient care and public health.
In 1991, Karen Morgenthaler started a new position working for Dr. Chip Ridgway in the endocrinology lab at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. After 30 years of service for the university, most of which took place in the lab at the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI), Karen will retire at the end of 2021.
1. CCTSI stands for the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.
2. We help build the research teams of the future, speed the development of new treatments and improve human health
The pandemic has changed how we work. As a result, you may find yourself ferrying a laptop around more often. With this comes an increased risk it will be stolen, lost or damaged during transit. So, what are some things you can do to protect the sensitive data on your laptop?
In March of 2020, the pandemic drove Coloradans to enter lockdown mode. This was no different for researchers on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. The result was that research operations were completely shuttered unless they were related to COVID-19 or essential to patient care.
Phil Zeitler, MD, PhD, has been treating youth with type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years. He and a team of researchers published a paper today on the TODAY2 study in the New England Journal of Medicine on the long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. (TODAY stands for Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth. The first phase of the study took place from 2004 - 2011; phase two from 2011 - 2020. Both studies involved more than 550 participants from across the country.)
March 5, 2020 marked the anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Colorado. Just a few days later, on March 10, Governor Polis declared a state of emergency and soon thereafter most of us were working from home and living in full pandemic mode.
Research Community COVID-19 Pediatrics
As Colorado surpasses a 47 percent rate of its population being fully immunized (with 12 counties surpassing 70 percent), researchers continue to expand the study of the vaccines on children as young as five years old. The Pediatric Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) and its nursing staff are playing a major role.
Research Clinical Research Kudos
The CCTSI is pleased to announce two new leadership roles: Jose R. Castillo-Mancilla, MD and Christopher D. Baker, MD will each serve as Associate Medical Director of the Clinical and Translational Research Centers of the CCTSI. Dr. Baker will oversee the pediatric CTRC at Children’s Hospital Colorado under the leadership of Medical Director Dr. Phil Zeitler. Dr. Castillo-Mancia will oversee the adult CTRC at UCHealth under the leadership of Medical Director Dr. Tom Campbell.
In vaccine clinical trials, the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were shown to be about 95% effective in preventing COVID-19. Now a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses real-world data to show that indeed, those who are 65 years and older who are fully vaccinated are 94% percent less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than those who have not been vaccinated. Researchers enrolled hospitalized patients from 20 hospitals across the nation—including UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.
COVID-19 Health equity Clinical Research
The nation has been coping with the pandemic for more than a year, and in this time, researchers have learned a great deal about how to treat COVID-19. Yet they have also been faced with what they still must learn, including how to reach the individuals who have been most dramatically impacted by the disease and who could benefit the most from new treatments.
Associate Professor of Medicine Lilia Cervantes, MD is a homegrown success story, a physician researcher and a changemaker. Growing up in Denver and receiving her undergraduate degree from CU Boulder, she went on to earn her medical degree and complete her internal medicine residency at the CU School of Medicine. For the past 12 years, she has worked as an internal medicine hospitalist at Denver Health, the safety-net hospital in Denver. Dr. Cervantes’ research describes the worse outcomes of undocumented immigrants with kidney failure who rely only on emergency dialysis. As a result of Dr. Cervantes’ research and advocacy, in 2019 Colorado Medicaid opted to include the diagnosis of kidney failure as a qualifying condition under Emergency Medicaid, expanding access to standard dialysis. Recently, she published a qualitative study on the experiences of Latinx individuals hospitalized for COVID-19.
One year ago, CCTSI researchers and staff were told to continue our programs of research from home to keep ourselves, our colleagues, families and communities safe from COVID-19. Books and files were collected, labs were closed, clinical trials were put on hold, teaching and program management were moved online. Makeshift offices were created in closets, bedrooms, garages and on kitchen counters. I found myself at home with my husband and two teenagers. I continued my research where I could and connected with colleagues over Zoom while supporting my family through the COVID-19 lockdown.
They say necessity is the mother of invention. In terms of healthcare, one of the most remarkable inventions begat by the pandemic is something called the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C). The vision of the scientists and researchers behind the N3C is to turn massive amounts of already available data into new knowledge urgently needed to study COVID-19 and identify potential treatments.
The speed at which the N3C has moved is astonishing: In just a little over six months, the initiative was launched, made available to biomedical researchers and has already produced its first publication.
Vaccine hesitancy is something we hear a lot about these days related to a potential coronavirus vaccine. Yet vaccine hesitancy has been a public health issue in the U.S. for many years. In 2019, a measles outbreak associated with vaccine refusal in religious communities infected 1,282 Americans—the most cases since 1992. And from 2006-2011, the rate of kindergarteners opting out of school-required vaccinations tripled.
Here at the Anschutz Medical Campus, we are in the business of answering important research questions in order to improve human health. One of the ways our physicians and scientists do this is through research studies that involve human participants who volunteer to make the studies possible.
For some researchers who spend their days tucked away in a lab, the impact of their work may at times seem removed from the lives of real people. Not so for Dr. Kevin Messacar, pediatric infectious disease specialist. In his mind, he has considered himself a physician first, researcher second since he came to Children’s Hospital Colorado in 2009.
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is part of a team of researchers that has received a grant of $3.6 million for the SPROUT-CTSA Collaborative Telehealth Research Network
Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, in collaboration with several other institutions, have discovered a genetic defect linked to Biliary atresia (BA), the most common pediatric cause of end-stage liver disease, and the leading indication for liver transplantation in children.
The battle between good and evil is a theme usually reserved for blockbuster movies or literature. However, biomedical researcher Donald Leung, MD, PhD, is engaged in his own epic battle, pitting good bacteria against bad in order to treat atopic dermatitis or eczema – the world’s most common skin disease.
US News
March 14, 2023
"We are really struggling with maintaining effective therapeutic options for high-risk patients with COVID-19," said Dr. Adit Ginde.
Alamosa News
December 12, 2022
CCTSI Community Research Liaison gathers 80 San Louis Valley organizations to help fight scarcity of childcare.
9News
December 08, 2022
The Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute has been putting a focus on recruiting diverse participants in clinical research—the OARS program is key to this effort.
5280
August 03, 2022
Melissa Haendel’s background in genetic research might be the key to coordinating rare disease information across the CU Anschutz Campus—and the world. Haendel is one of the leaders in the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI).
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