A digital imaging network to facilitate a multi-center clinical trial for adrenoleukodystrophy

摘要

Finding a large enough patient population for performing clinical trials, especially for rare diseases, can be difficult. A multi-center clinical trial allows researchers to share information and interpretation of results from multiple institutions. Using a digital network and the Internet facilitates the sharing of acquired information between many locations and becomes key to establishing a successful multi-center clinical trial. A digital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) network of clinical institutions to evaluate therapy outcomes in a multi-center clinical trial for adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) has been created. The network uses the DICOM 3.0 standard to move MRI images securely over the Internet and Next Generation Internet (NGI) to a secure central clinical database. Virtual private network (VPN) technology is used to protect patient confidentiality and assure data integrity. 15 sites participate in the network; 160 ALD MRI studies have been stored in the clinical database and scored independently by two physicians.