ASH Establishes ASH Research Collaborative to Accelerate Progress in Hematology

ASH RC now requesting proposals from research sites interested in new sickle cell clinical trials network

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Nov 15, 2018, 16:18 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Hematology has established the ASH Research Collaborative (ASH RC), a mission-focused nonprofit organization that will foster collaborative partnerships to accelerate progress in hematology, with the goal of improving the lives of people affected by blood diseases.

The ASH RC is creating the Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) with the mission of improving outcomes for individuals with SCD by expediting SCD therapy development and facilitating innovation in clinical trial research. Today, the Collaborative is releasing a call for interested clinical research sites to submit letters of intent, which is the first step toward securing CTN sites.

"The launch of ASH Research Collaborative is a turning point in ASH's mission to conquer blood diseases. It is a bold step by the Society to create a separate entity that can focus solely on these robust initiatives," said ASH President Alexis Thompson, MD, MPH, of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. "ASH is uniquely positioned as a trusted convener to facilitate collaboration among various stakeholders for real scientific and clinical impact."

With the core data collection infrastructure now in place, the ASH Research Collaborative is soliciting initial data contributors for the first two diseases, multiple myeloma and sickle cell disease. It is anticipated that additional diseases will be added in the future.

The SCD data in this centralized data repository will be a key component of the SCD CTN. The CTN's core activities will include matching clinical trial sponsors with research sites, facilitating patient recruitment, and improving the efficiency of clinical trials by advising on optimal trial design and ensuring a coordinated approach across the network. The first study is expected to be initiated in the fall of 2019.

Clinical research sites interested in joining the Network can now submit a letter of intent through the end of January 2019. The benefits and requirements for becoming an SCD CTN trial site will be discussed during a Q&A session on Monday, December 3, at the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting. RSVP here.

Clinical research sites interested in submitting a letter of intent may contact [email protected]g.

The ASH Research Collaborative (ASH RC) (https://www.ashresearchcollaborative.org/) is a mission-focused nonprofit organization established by the American Society of Hematology in 2018 to foster collaborative partnerships to accelerate progress in hematology, with the goal of improving the lives of people affected by blood diseases.

At the core of the ASH Research Collaborative is its Data Hub, a technology platform that facilitates the exchange of information by aggregating research-grade data on hematologic diseases in a central place for the purposes of scientific inquiry. The first ASH RC research initiative is the Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Clinical Trials Network (CTN), launched with a mission of improving outcomes for individuals with SCD by expediting SCD therapy development and facilitating innovation in clinical trials research.

SOURCE American Society of Hematology