Berman Center for Clinical Outcomes
Chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease are the greatest cause of death in developed countries. In the US, chronic diseases cause 70 percent of all deaths each year, or roughly 1.7 million deaths. With the rise of obesity and other risk factors, the incidence of chronic disease is expected to rise dramatically in the coming years. Clinical research is urgently needed to improve our understanding of how chronic diseases develop and how they can be treated.
The Berman Center at MMRF has been conducting first-class clinical trials research on chronic disease outcomes for more than 35 years. Founded in 1966 by Dr. Reuben Berman, a pioneer in the field of cardiovascular clinical research, its primary mission is to empower the medical community to offer better patient care through research. Today, the lead investigator and Medical Director at the Berman Center is Richard Grimm, MD, PhD. Dr. Grimm is the section head of Clinical Epidemiology at the Hennepin County Medical Center, and is a full member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Minnesota.
The Berman Center works with federal programs, pharmaceutical companies, managed care facilities, and other research organizations to evaluate treatments for conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, neurological disorders, diabetes, and women’s health issues including breast cancer, osteoporosis, and hormone replacement therapy. Since its inception, the Berman Center has been a clinical site for more than 75 trials of varying sizes.
One of the most significant recent studies that the Berman Center contributed research to was the ground-breaking Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. This study provided a telling picture of women’s health in the US. Some of the most surprising study results showed that an eating pattern lower in total fat did not significantly reduce the incidence of breast cancer, heart disease, or stroke and did not reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in healthy postmenopausal women.
Of the many studies the Berman Center is participating in, two of the largest are the ACCORD Study and the SHARP Study. The ACCORD study is examining the relationship between Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus die of cardiovascular disease at rates two to four times higher than non-diabetic populations of similar demographic characteristics. Despite the severity of this health problem the US, we don’t have a good understanding of how diabetes management might help reduce cardiovascular events in diabetic patients.
The SHARP study is an international study sponsored by Oxford University, UK. Approximately 9,000 patients will be enrolled in this study to assess the effect of cholesterol lowering therapy to reduce cardiovascular events in people with chronic kidney disease.
Through these studies and many others, the Berman Center is advancing our understanding of chronic diseases and helping lead the way to new treatments for these rapidly growing diseases.
Visit the Berman Center website.
Current Research
ASPREE Study
CAN ASPIRIN PROLONG A HEALTHY LIFE?
Largest NIA Sponsored International Clinical Trial to Test Benefits of Aspirin Specifically in People Age 70 and Over
In an effort to extend the length of a disability-free life for older adults, researchers across the United States and Australia have partnered in the largest international trial ever sponsored by the US National Institute on Aging (NIA).
The Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study aims to assess whether aspirin can not only prolong life, but a life free of physical disability and/ or dementia for healthy older people.
According to ASPREE principal investigator, Dr. Richard Grimm, Medical Director of the Berman Center for Outcomes and Clinical Research, and Professor of Cardiology and Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, “ASPREE is unprecedented in that it’s the largest trial and the first international trial the NIA has ever done. What we learn from this study will help determine whether physicians recommend aspirin as preventive medicine to their older patients.”
While it is known that aspirin prevents heart attacks and strokes in people with established heart disease-- benefits which clearly outweigh any risks associated with aspirin, such as bleeding-- the role of aspirin in people without a history of cardiovascular disease is less certain.
“Because of its proven effectiveness in preventing second events, many doctors have also prescribed aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes in otherwise healthy people,” explains Professor John McNeil, Head of the Monash School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine in Australia, and also a principal investigator for ASPREE.
“However, in the last couple of years, serious doubts have been raised about the evidence supporting this practice, and as a result, editorials in major medical journals have called for this question to be settled.”
The ASPREE study will enroll 6,500 healthy individuals age 70 and over in the US and another 12,500 in Australia.
More information can be found at www.ASPREE.org.
