Studies Galore

I was on vacation last week so I didn’t have a chance to blog. My son, Brady, is turning one year old so we took him to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s to celebrate. The summer is quickly drawing to a close and there have been some interesting new studies taking place in IDS.

Last week we opened a study dealing with novel treatments for sarcomas. The study drug is a vaccine that stimulates the production of antibodies which have been shown to eliminate free tumor cells from the blood and lymphatic systems. The vaccine is stored in a special freezer at -80C.

Most study drugs that we maintain have specific storage conditions and temperatures that must be maintained. Every month, study sponsors send representatives called monitors to make sure that their drug is being maintained under proper conditions. The monitors also verify inventory levels and check to see that all our drug dispensing is recorded properly. As an intern I am responsible for making sure our records are well kept and accurate for each monitor visit. We typically have between 5 to 15 monitor visits each week.

Another interesting study that has been going on for a few months is investigating treatment options for brain tumors. Brain tumor antigen removed from patients is presented to their own immune system via their own dendritic cells. This allows the patient’s immune system to systematically target the tumor. Many of the oncology drugs being investigated at IDS are highly targeted which means the patient experiences less systemic toxicity.

The IDS internship allows me to work with many great pharmacists. I learn about not only investigational drugs and procedures, but basic clinical methods that I will be able to carry with me throughout my career.