Jessica (lower right) and her colleagues on the study.
For Jessica Pollock, a study coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Fox Trial Finder has fast become a valuable resource in her daily work.
One of Pollock’s jobs is to recruit for a clinical trial designed to find a Parkinson’s disease (PD) biomarker that could be identified using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology. Recruiting for clinical trials is never an easy task. In this study, Pollock and her team are looking for very particular volunteers: people with PD who are taking medication to manage their symptoms, but who are able to withhold them for one night in order to have MRI imaging done. The study is also looking for control volunteers.
In just a few months, Pollock says, she has already recruited more than a third of the needed participants. And Fox Trial Finder has been a big reason why.
“Fox Trial Finder has made it really easy to come in contact with prospective trial participants,” she says. “Every week, I get phone calls and emails from people with Parkinson’s who are interested in being a part of our study. I’ve never had such a positive experience with recruiting for trials in the past.”
Of course Pollock must screen potential volunteers, and sometimes, they’re not an exact match for this particular study. But even then, she says, Fox Trial Finder is useful, as other trials that may be more appropriate are also listed. Pollock is able to use the tool to help put people in touch with other potentially more appropriate study leads.
As a full-time post-doctoral student who one day hopes to be a neurologist, Pollock understands the premium of saving time and money in the recruitment process. Fox Trial Finder helps to do just this. And as her grandfather has Parkinson’s, serving the community of people with PD has extra special meaning.
“I feel lucky to be able to contribute to the search for better Parkinson’s treatments,” she says. “And I’m optimistic — the volunteers I meet in my work at UCSF are an educated and engaged group of people. If their commitment to research is any indication, we’re on the right track.”