HEALTHY LIFE
Darryl D'Lima, MD, PhD, director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, SCORE, Scripps Clinic, is part of a team of physicians and scientists driving some of the most advanced orthopedic clinical studies.
How Clinical Trials
Advance Medicine
Scripps researchers take new discoveries from the bench to the bedside
T
WHAT IS A CLINICAL TRIAL A clinical trial is a research study in which patients volunteer to help researchers test a new treatment, drug, procedure or technology. An investigator or company brings forward a new idea and compares its e ff ectiveness to that of existing treatments. Th is approach leads to incremental advances in the standard of care and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients; each step is with the perspective of the physician, patient and community in mind. Clinical trials also give patients access to therapies that may yield better results for them than more widely known treatments. Currently, around 90 clinical trials are underway at Scripps in such fi elds as cancer care, cardiology and orthopedics. “ Th e biggest impetus for clinical trials is when we have a disease or a condition that is not responding in all cases to our available traditional treatments. Th at’s when we know there’s a gap, and we need to fi ll that with science and innovation,” says Dr. Fortmann. “When we have clinical trials at Scripps Health, we give that patient one more option.”
HERE’S A COMMON MISCONCEPTION that research
happens separately from medicine. At Scripps, research is a critical part of the mission to provide the best care to patients. Many promising new treatments begin in clinical trials. Th e knowledge gained from these clinical studies helps advance the quality of care for people in San Diego and beyond. “Every single treatment, drug intervention and care item we deliver to our patients started with research,” says Addie Fortmann, PhD, Chief Research O ffi cer at Scripps. “When we go to the hospital, emergency room, primary care physician or a specialist visit, the care provided wouldn’t be delivered if it didn’t start with research. Research is really the foundation for medicine.”
10 SAN DIEGO HEALTH | SPRING 2024
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator