The McLaren Center for Research and Innovation was started less than 10 years ago, and born out of a desire to grow research opportunities for patients and investigators at McLaren. Before MCRI, each subsidiary had a small research office and conducted a small number of out-patient trials and registries. As MCRI grew over the years, our number of studies increased, the number of patients involved in research at McLaren increased and with that, interest from physician investigators grew as well. It’s these physicians and their drive to put McLaren on the map in the research world that has provided us with new opportunities that 10 years ago were just a dream.
Dr. Aniel Majjhoo, Neurointerventialist and Chair of the Neuroscience Research Council at McLaren, is one of those physician investigators with the drive to make research at McLaren stand out amongst the rest. Dr. Majjhoo initiated a collaboration with University of Michigan and in 2018 McLaren Health Care became a National Institutes of Health (NIH) StrokeNet research site under University of Michigan as the NIH coordinating center. This alliance provides McLaren with ample research opportunities that we would have otherwise not had access to.
Enrollment in the StrokeNet MOST (Multi-Arm Optimization of Stroke Thrombolysis) Trial has recently begun at McLaren Flint. MOST is an acute interventional trial and is the most complex trial McLaren had participated in to date.
“It takes an enormous amount of teamwork and dedication to enroll just one patient,” says Principal Investigator, Aniel Majjhoo. “Never before have so many hospital departments come together to take part in an acute stroke treatment trial. It’s inspiring to see this kind of work happening at McLaren Flint, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
To date 3 patients have been enrolled in the MOST study. Each patient is randomized to receive one of two different blood thinners or a placebo plus their standard tPA treatment for their stroke.
“Everything happens so fast, but this team is amazing and it all just comes together,” says research coordinator, Marci Roberts, “it’s exciting to know we are doing something that’s never been done before at McLaren, and I get to be a part of it.”
McLaren Center for Research and Innovation is extremely proud to be involved with cutting edge research at all our locations, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds. What was just a dream less than 10 years ago has finally become a reality and we have our dedicated research staff and investigators to thank. We also thank each and every department and hospital staff member who went above and beyond their usual duties to support research and help bring this treatment option to our patients.
“McLaren Neurosciences program strives to exceed standard of care with cutting edge technology, and research options through MCRI make it possible,” said Dr. Majjhoo.