Ohio State Enrolls First "Match" Through National Registry

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) has achieved its first match through ResearchMatch.org, the national, disease-neutral, volunteer recruitment registry.

The volunteer “match” will participate in research led by Dr. Robert Hoffman in pediatric endocrinology at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Hoffman’s research is exploring metabolic and vascular differences in response to fat and insulin between African-American and Caucasian patients.

Ohio State’s CCTS is one of 51 participants in ResearchMatch.org. The not-for-profit Web site connects researchers from across the country with volunteers who are interested in participating in a research study.

Currently, nearly 6,900 volunteers nationally are registered in ResearchMatch, with 850 residing in Ohio. “The information we gain during this research will help us learn more about why African-Americans have higher rates of hypertension, stroke and Type 2 diabetes,” says Hoffman, who is also program director of the Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. ResearchMatch is the product of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Consortium, which is led by the National Center for Research Resources, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

The CTSA is a national network of medical research institutions working together to improve how biomedical research is conducted.

ResearchMatch ‘matches’ any interested individual residing in the United States with researchers approved to recruit potential volunteers through the system. After an individual has self-registered to become a volunteer, ResearchMatch’s security features ensure that personal information is protected until volunteers authorize the release of their contact information to a specific study that may be of interest to them. Volunteers are simply notified electronically that they are a possible match and then make the decision regarding the release of their contact information.

Ohio State’s CCTS was established in 2008 with a $34 million National Institutes of Health CTSA Award. It represents a partnership among Ohio State’s seven health sciences colleges, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and ten other colleges within OSU to synergize efforts in clinical and translational research, and improve the health of individuals and communities. Dr. Rebecca Jackson, professor of internal medicine and associate dean for clinical research, is the principal investigator for Ohio State’s CTSA.

To learn more about Ohio State’s ResearchMatch participation, visit www.ccts.osu.edu or call (614) 293-4198. To learn more about the national effort, visit www.researchmatch.org. # # #

Contact: Doug Flowers Medical Center Communications (614) 293-3737 Doug.Flowers@osumc.edu