Research Updates in Kidney and Urologic Health

NIDDK Takes Cost-Effective Approach to Clinical Trials in Kidney Disease: Renal Clinical Trials Consortium

In FY 2003, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) established the Renal Clinical Trials Consortium (RCTC) in response to recommendations developed by a strategic planning group convened in March 2002. The group, an outgrowth of two renal research retreats held by the Council of American Kidney Societies (CAKS), urged the NIDDK to form a cooperative, multicenter consortium that would improve clinical trials, increase the number of trials, and cut research costs.

The main goals of the RCTC are threefold:

• Encourage the full and effective use of resources from NIDDK-supported clinical trials and epidemiological studies in kidney disease



• Increase the number of investigator-initiated clinical studies, including small-scale, interventional studies; observational studies; and feasibility studies for potential, large-scale interventional trials



• Improve the cost-effectiveness of both investigator-initiated and institute-initiated, multi-site studies

The RCTC Steering Committee has been formed and has an 18-month term.

In February 2003, the first meeting of the consortium brought together clinical investigators currently funded by the KUH and other interested investigators. The meeting included a complete inventory of existing clinical studies and short presentations by investigators involved in many of those studies. Participants also discussed present and future repositories and policies for accessing data and samples. Subject area work groups met to discuss research priorities in the areas of chronic kidney disease progression, glomerulonephritis, care of the end-stage renal disease patient, kidney disease in childhood, and acute renal failure. The Steering Committee will oversee a process to provide planning assistance in the development of grant proposals for these topics.

Subsequent meetings of the consortium will be held twice a year.

RCTC Steering Committee

Co-chairs
John Stokes, University of Iowa
John Sedor, Case Western Reserve University

Members
Norman Siegel, Yale University
Harold Feldman, University of Pennsylvania
Glenn Chertow, University of California, San Francisco
Bruce Molitoris, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Edmund Lewis, Rush Medical College/Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center
Patrick Parfrey, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Laura Dember, Boston University School of Medicine
Andrew Levey, Tufts New England Medical Center
Robert Schrier, University of Colorado Health Science Center
Craig Tisher, University of Florida
Ronald Falk, University of North Carolina.

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