JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN CENTER

Virtual imaging trials simulate human anatomy, imaging modalities, and interpretation to parallel real-life trials. They offer benefits like cost and time savings, accelerating medical imaging development, and optimizing digital twins for personalized therapy. Despite challenges in realism and diversity, they enable efficient clinical trial design and AI evaluation, making imaging research more accessible and potentially improving patient care.

The Chinese Institutes for Medical Research (CIMR) in Beijing bridges fundamental research and clinical application, focusing on MS and stroke. CIMR's high-throughput drug screening platform and extensive hospital network accelerate translational research, aiming to expand to 100 principal investigators by 2028.

A case study from the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory describes an interim reassessment of sample size during an ongoing cluster randomized trial, FM-TIPS, which examines the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on movement-evoked pain in fibromyalgia patients.

Duke University used ethical licensing restrictions on APOE patents to control Alzheimer’s genetic testing, prohibiting predictive testing to align with ethical values, demonstrating patents' role in governance beyond economic incentives.

Dr. Ravi V. Bellamkonda, a renowned biomedical engineer and higher education leader, will join Ohio State as executive VP and provost, pending Board of Trustees approval, starting January 14, 2025. He comes from Emory University, where he led initiatives in arts, AI, and student flourishing. Dr. Bellamkonda is also a distinguished researcher in biomedical engineering and a recipient of the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award. His family, including spouse Dr. Lalita Kaligotla and dog CJ, will join him at Ohio State.

Dr R S Sethi, additional director of Research at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, was awarded the title of fellow by the Indian Society of Veterinary Immunology and Biotechnology (ISVIB) for his significant contributions to veterinary immunology and biotechnology.

A reader discovers a secret about their grandmother's past and faces a moral dilemma between respecting her wishes and providing answers to a relative seeking information. The article discusses the concept of 'moral remainder' and suggests balancing both parties' rights to self-determination.

A thought piece by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Duke University, and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute highlights challenges in improving population health through pragmatic clinical trials. The authors propose strategies to enhance trial effectiveness and implementation in real-world settings, including identifying relevant outcomes, shortening trial duration, conducting interim assessments, and considering costs.

In a JAMA Viewpoint, NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory leaders Richard Platt, Hayden Bosworth, and Gregory Simon discuss the gap between pragmatic clinical trial results and their implementation, suggesting trials should be faster, consider healthcare system leaders' priorities, and use flexible evidence levels.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Duke University, and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute propose strategies to enhance pragmatic clinical trials' effectiveness and impact on real-world health care settings, published in JAMA.