As we face unprecedented research interruptions, we're amazed by this community's ingenuity, resilience, and adaptability. By leveraging collective resources and creativity, we know our researchers will continue conducting cutting-edge work.
UCLA clinical trial tests anti-viral drug remdesivir and other therapies against COVID-19. Read the full story →
As part of an academic medical center, our strengths in basic, translational and clinical research position us to make a transformative and enduring impact on the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, we must take a targeted and prioritized approach to developing and scaling our COVID-19 research programs. To this end, DGSOM has implemented a new COVID-19 Research Governance Structure to facilitate strategic, prioritized allocation of financial resources, biospecimens, PPE and research facilities. This infrastructure will be led by a central Oversight COVID-19 Research Committee (OCRC), chaired by Dr. Owen Witte, Director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.
There are five task forces with deep expertise in specific domains that will report up to the OCRC for research related to COVID-19. Learn more →
Support research into the pathogenesis and transmission of the coronavirus family, including COVID-19. Los Angeles is the frontline of community transmission. Scientists and medical and public-health professionals have been preparing for such a pandemic and are working together creatively to tackle this novel pathogen, learn from it, beat it, and prevent new outbreaks in Los Angeles and around the world.
While PPE supplies at UCLA remain adequate to cover our current and future needs, we would like to collect additional PPE to be ready for a possible surge in cases. We are collecting re-usable, plastic, cleanable goggles, safety glasses, and face masks for our health care enterprise (example). We are also collecting procedural/surgical masks, N95s, gowns, gloves, face shields, Sani wipes and hand sanitizer. If your laboratory has any that can be spared, please bring them to the BSRB/OHRC Loading Dock Receiving Room or the MRL Loading Dock Receiving Room, Monday - Friday, 7 am - 3 pm. Please do not forward this request to external colleagues as we are not seeking outside donations at this time. Please contact COVID19ppesupport@mednet.ucla.edu with any specific questions.
For clinical research studies where a study sponsor is obligated by the FDA to monitor study source records, sponsors may now be provided monitoring capability through one of three mechanisms:
Email for COVID-19 clinical research
The UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) has established a dedicated “help desk” email (ClinicalResearchC19@mednet.ucla.edu) to capture and facilitate inquiries related to conducting clinical research during the COVID-19 outbreak and specific COVID-19 clinical research. The team supporting this mailbox includes representatives from the CTSI Office of Clinical Research, IRB and the Office of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA).
Email address: ClinicalResearchC19@mednet.ucla.edu
Under the guidance of the DGSOM-CTSI COVID-19 Clinical Research Task Force, the UCLA health system, CTSI and the DGSOM are mobilizing a systemwide strategy to understand pathogenesis, infection, transmission, containment and mitigation of COVID-19. We now have four clinical trials open, including a tocilizumab study that opened over the weekend. There are 10 more in the pipeline, including two (and possibly more) outpatient randomized trials, one for post-exposure prophylaxis and one for treatment of mild disease. UCLA also will be kicking off its convalescent serum program this week, starting by creating an online registry of COVID+ recovered patients who no longer have symptoms.
COVID-19 clinical research registration and support
For those who have clinical research interests related to COVID-19, a DGSOM-CTSI Clinical Research Task Force has been created to prioritize, coordinate and facilitate COVID-19 clinical research. To aid this process, the CTSI has created a study registration form: Covid-19 New Study Registration
For staff with some capacity and time to contribute to COVID-19 clinical research, CTSI has also created a new registration form to be included in a pool for participation in COVID-19 research: Covid-19 Study Staff Support Registration.
As of March 16, 2020, the policy on human research visits at UCLA campuses is that in-person research visits should NOT be conducted unless: 1) the specific research visit provides an immediate benefit to a participant’s health and/or well-being, or 2) the visit is part of the course of ongoing clinical care (the policies for routine and elective visits are also undergoing review by UCLA Health). This update is based on NIH guidance issued on March 16, as well as statements issued by the Surgeon General, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and California Governor Newsom. We encourage you to continuously monitor and read your emails as these guidelines may change as things evolve.
Click here for specific examples that are provided as a guide to help principal investigators, participants, and participant care providers determine suitability of in-person research visits. These determinations and the balance of potential benefits and harms will vary by study objectives, target patient population, and may change as the COVID-19 outbreak evolves. (The examples are not intended to be comprehensive of all study types.)
Additional Resources
To ensure bi-directional communication is open, accurate and able to quickly solve problems that arise, please raise any questions or concerns through the normal channels (lab members to PI, PI to Dept. Chair, Dept Chair to Vice Dean of Research). If at any point you do not receive a response within 24 hours, please escalate to the next level. We will likewise make sure to communicate back through these same channels as any new developments arise.
The recently sent campus-wide message from Roger Wakimoto, Vice Chancellor for Research at UCLA, includes a lot of helpful information about what to think about in developing your preparedness plans. It also contains guidance for clinical researchers, including a link to a valuable CTSI webpage. We encourage you to read it.
Additionally, please visit the UCLA CTSI Research Go COVID-19 INFO page for more detailed information.
