Pearl IRB

Pearl is Speaking and Exhibiting at MAGI’s Clinical Research Conference, Washington, DC, May 20-23

Matt Foor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:39:24 +0000

This event will be a great gathering for clinical research professionals. Gretchen Bowker, Pearl IRB COO is speaking at the event.

The title of the event is: Ask the IRB’s- Answers might be different than what your IRB is telling you.

Pearl will also be exhibiting on the floor so please stop by and see us! To learn more, check out the MAGI conference website

Clinical Research Investigator Sites Still Shrinking?

Matt Foor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:08:58 +0000

The current worldwide economic downturn is continuing to shrink the number of investigative sites across the globe. The sharpest decline in investigator sites has occurred in Europe according to CenterWatch. The US is not immune to this activity as the most active proportion of principal investigators (PIs) has fallen from 29% to below 23% in the last five years. An even more staggering statistic is the average number of new trials started by the highest-volume sites in the US and Canada which has dropped by 85%. The causes for this are reported as the current economy, budgetary pressures, and regulatory burdens. To find out more about the current state of clinical research investigators click here. To learn how Pearl offers unique service offerings to sponsors, PIs, and CROs, visit here. We are more than just an IRB, offering many wrap around clinical services to our clients.

Pearl COO Gretchen Bowker to speak at the February 22nd IMDMC Workshop

Matt Foor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:24:52 +0000

Please join the IMDMC February 22^nd Workshop where Gretchen Bowker of Pearl Pathways will discuss the hot topic of RUO (Research Use Only). The event will be held at Montage, 8580 Allison Pointe Blvd, Indianapolis, Indiana.

The IMDMC is an association of medical device manufacturers dedicated to promoting education and the interest of other medical device companies in Indiana. To learn more about the IMDMC click here, and to register for the event, click here.

Join us at the February 17th INpact Meeting

Matt Foor — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:06:37 +0000

Come hear a lively conversation about the current obstacles and opportunities in the medical device industry. Event is on February 17, 2012 from 11:30AM to 1:00PM and will be held in downtown Indianapolis at Bingham Greenebuam Doll, LLP, 110 W. Market Street Suite 2700. To register click here.

To learn more about INpact, an organization that aims to assist medical device companies to bring new product and technologies to market in a timely and efficient manner, click here.

Donating to the Komen Tissue Bank during INDY Super Cure – reflections from Pearl’s President and CEO

Diana — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:44:06 +0000

This coming weekend is Indy’s Super Cure, and I am going to be a donor. In my opinion, this is one of the most exciting things about the Super Bowl coming to Indianapolis. Yes, of course, the infectious fan spirit that is filling our streets and buildings, the extra tourist dollars, and the fact that this event is raising Indianapolis’ international awareness are also great aspects of our city’s first Super Bowl; however, Super Cure will leave a meaningful impact long after the event has passed. It might even lead to a cure for breast cancer in the decades to come.

Few of us in Indianapolis, even those of us working in life sciences or research, know that Indianapolis is home to the world’s only known tissue bank (Komen Tissue Bank) that collects healthy breast tissue for cancer study and research. On January 28-29, 2012, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at IU Simon Cancer Center (Komen Tissue Bank) hopes to collect 700 tissue donations in the weekend leading up to Super Bowl XLVI. Rumor has it, all the appointments are filled! To learn more, click here.

I’ll be there this weekend donating, and my oldest daughter will be volunteering at the event. I am doing this for science, for my three daughters, and for future generations so that we can find a cure for this disease that affects so many of us and our loved ones.

Breast Cancer Facts from the Super Cure website:

Every 13 minutes a woman’s life is taken from this disease
1 in 8 women will get breast cancer
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54

What can you do?

Donate money to the Komen Tissue Bank
Donate breast tissue at the Komen Tissue Bank
Text “CURE” to 27722 to donate $10 to the Komen Tissue Bank
Volunteer at the Komen Tissue Bank

How do CRA’s Spend Their Time?

Matt Foor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:06:27 +0000

As reported in Outsourcing Pharma, a new study conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development shows that CRAs (clinical research associates)spend less than half their time doing on-site monitoring tasks. This report included close to 4,000 CRAs from biopharma companies and contract research organizations (CRO). US CRAs work an average of 178 hours a month while their European counterparts reported working 143 per month. The report went on to show that CRA’s spend 41% of their time in on-site monitoring tasks, 22% with off-site monitoring tasks, 13% with admin work and 5% spent in training. Furthermore, travel time takes up a large chunk of their time – roughly 20% with those in the US spending the most time on the road. Tufts senior project manager Mary Jo Lamberti shared, “The first step in more efficiently managing CRA time is to gather baseline data so that CRA managers are making informed decisions.” To see the full Tufts press release, click here.

Top 10 Medical Research Trends to Watch For in 2012

Matt Foor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:44:38 +0000

Margaret Anderson, the Executive Director of FasterCures, has released her top 10 medical research trends to watch in 2012. Her top 3 are listed below:

NCATS: Who moved my cheese?
FDA: The science of Failure
Intellectual property: Keep it simple, stupid

What are the rest of the trends to look for in 2012? Click this link to find out more.

Where CRO Consolidation May Take Us in 2012

Matt Foor — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:22:32 +0000

According to Ciaran Murray, the CEO of Icon, large-scale CRO consolidation will not be at the level of past years in 2012. According to Murray, the industry will take a step back and digest the moves from previous years, although companies will still be active in small acquisitions. The recent acquisitions have put some smaller companies in the position to compete with the major players in the industry. Look at what he had to say about the industry consolidation and the continued clinical outsourcing of pharma here. Our goal at Pearl is to continue to provide high value service to all our clients involved in clinical research, and continue to provide not only outstanding IRB services, but also other niche wrap around clinical services.

Career Opportunities at Pearl IRB

Diana — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:21:29 +0000

Please visit our careers page to review current openings and job descriptions. We have the need to immediately fill a full time position for a Clinical Research Coordinator at one of our client’s sites. Location is Indianapolis, Indiana. Please click here to learn more.

Gretchen Bowker’s Article Published in ACRP Monitor

Rob Hobson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:49:40 +0000

Gretchen Bowker’s co-authored article, along with Dr. Craig Caldwell, Human Protection: Not Just an Obligation, A Career, was published in the September 2011 issue of the ACRP Monitor. The article begins on page 21 and to view the online version of the article, go here.