Designation will bring more therapies and research to the region
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- Northern Californians will now have an opportunity to participate in more medical research - investigations that could lead to better treatments for everything from Alzheimer's disease and cancer to obesity, strokes and HIV/AIDS. The Sacramento Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in partnership with the UC Davis School of Medicine, has been officially designated as a "General Clinical Research Center" by the National Center for Research Resources, part of the federal National Institutes of Health (NIH). The designation recognizes the research expertise of both the VA and UC Davis, and it provides a dedicated location and necessary resources for exploring and finding cures for human diseases and ailments. The new center will be a focal point for everything from promising, new drug therapies to studies in nutrition. "Research is the foundation for improving medical care," said Lars Berglund, a staff physician at the Sacramento VA Medical Center and professor of medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine, who will direct the research program at the new center. "This is an honor and a terrific opportunity to increase the type of work we've long done here at the university and VA. Being part of the national network means we will have an even better ability to explore scientific approaches for preventing and treating diseases and disabilities that affect everyone's health." More than 550 grant-funded studies, worth an estimated $102 million, are currently being done at the UC Davis School of Medicine, with particular focus on infectious diseases, neurosciences and cancer, bone and vascular biology. Recently, for example, UC Davis researchers conducted a study with volunteers that found that fortifying orange juice with plant sterols is effective in reducing high cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. Another investigation now under way is testing the effectiveness of a new medicine designed to reduce osteoarthritis of the knee. The VA is also a world-renowned leader in clinical research. Recent areas of emphasis include prostate cancer, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and arthritis. Currently, researchers at the Sacramento VA Medical Center are developing a mechanism to prevent bacterial adhesion to stents, which can contribute to the failure of these devices. This research represents a novel approach in combating a common and difficult problem in the practice of clinical medicine. The new, 8,000 square-foot center is located within the new Sacramento VA Medical Center tower, on the grounds of the former Mather Air Force Base. It is specifically designed to allow for a wide range of research, including rooms for inpatient and outpatient investigations, a core laboratory, a metabolic kitchen for preparing foods for specific diets, a body composition and assessment unit to measure bone density and body fat content, plus offices for experts in biostatistical analysis and other specialties. While the new clinical research center will join a network of 80 centers nationwide, it will be the first in Northern California outside of the Bay Area. It also will be one of only four such centers housed in any of the nation's 158 VA medical centers. Nearly a dozen investigations are already taking place at the new site, including research focusing on obesity, osteoporosis and factors in cardiovascular risk. Officials say investigations conducted at the VA facility will not be limited just to veterans. Clinical trials and other research will be open to all appropriate volunteers and participants. Future work will include Alzheimer's disease, HIV/AIDS, strokes and Huntington's disease. The nation's clinical research center effort began more than 40 years ago as a way to provide investigators with specialized environments in which to conduct medical research that focuses on actual patients. In 2002, the General Clinical Research Center program provided support for an estimated 7,000 medically-related studies.