Research Studies/Ancillary

	Ancillary research study generated as a result of the research study.

There are instances where the knowledge gained as a result of a research study allows for additional research studies that expand on the research findings in related or ancillary areas. For example, the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS), identified a number of possible risk factors related to development of primary open angle glaucoma. As a result of the OHTS findings, seven ancillary research studies that expanded on these findings were identified.

Assessment

Identification of ancillary research studies that expand on research generated by a previous study is largely contingent on the personal and anecdotal knowledge of the investigators. Knowledge of other investigators working in similar areas of scientific research is recommended in order to learn of new research projects that expand on a previous research project, especially so for bench studies.

One possible means of locating ancillary studies is to locate similar studies and find any supporting documentation that acknowledges the contributions of a particular research study.

	Search using the keywords, title or the name of the author/research study.

Some databases that may be helpful in locating ancillary research studies include the following:

CenterWatch Drugs in Clinical Trials Database

The CenterWatch Drugs in Clinical Trials Database is a comprehensive online resource offering detailed profiles of new investigational treatments in phase I through III clinical trials. Updated weekly, the online directory provides information on more than 3,000 drugs for more than 800 disease conditions worldwide in a well-organized and easy-to-reference format. Detailed profile information is provided for each drug.

Clinical Trials.gov

The Clinical Trials.gov database allows for searching by a number of criteria including interventions which allows for a search for a specific drug, device, procedure or vaccine. Clinical Trials.gov includes clinical trials from all sources of funding and from over 157 countries.

Cochrane Library – Clinical Trials

The Cochrane Library consists of a regularly updated collection of evidence-based medicine databases to inform healthcare decision-making. Cochrane provides additional resources such as other systematic reviews, abstracts, technology assessments, economic evaluations, and individual clinical trials.

The Cochrane Library offers a Clinical Trials database that allows for searching of clinical trials as noted in MEDLINE and EMBASE and from other published and unpublished sources. From the main page of the Cochrane Library, select the Clinical Trials resource. Search tips are noted on the main page of the Clinical Trials database.

Cochrane Library home page

Gene Therapy Clinical Trials Worldwide

Gene Therapy Clinical Trials Worldwide allows for searching by criteria such as: Trial country, Principal investigator, Disease category, Indication, Vector used, Gene transferred, Gene type, Clinical phase, Trial status, and the Year trial approved/initiated.

PubMed

PubMed is a freely accessible online database of biomedical journal citations and abstracts created by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). Approximately 5,200 journals published in the United States and more than 80 other countries are indexed in PubMed. Follow directions for searching as noted.

PubMed offers filters for searching of clinical trials. From the main page, click Advanced Search and select the type of clinical trial you want to search for under the Type of Article options box. Options include Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial, and Clinical Trial, Phases I, II, III, or IV.

PubMed Advanced Search Menu page showing type of article filter

RePORT Expenditures and Results (RePORTER)

RePORTER is a new database that replaces the Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP) database. RePORTER retains all of the search capabilities of the CRISP database which provided information on federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions supported by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

RePORTER provides additional query fields, hit lists that can be sorted and downloaded to Excel, NIH funding for each project (expenditures), and the publications and patents that have acknowledged support from each project (results). RePORTER also provides links to PubMed Central, PubMed, and the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Patent Full Text and Image Database for more information on research results.

 

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Last updated: July 30, 2009