Patient partners in the lab
By Kim Barnhardt
How can patients be meaningfully engaged in preclinical research, that is, research usually done in a laboratory?
Dr. Manoj Lalu’s Blueprint Translational Research Group at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) has launched Lab Partners, a project to study and implement patient engagement in the early, preclinical research stage.
“We are trying to integrate patient engagement really early on by creating a framework for patient engagement in pre-clinical research, looking at how to integrate patients into lab work, how to integrate patient partners in a meaningful way, how can we influence research and make it even more relevant downstream,” says Dr. Lalu, an anesthesiologist and scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.
The LabPartners team is building on a “mountain of evidence” established in the clinical sphere to create a framework for patient engagement in preclinical research, which often uses cells and animals to inform research into human health.
Funders of his team’s work include BioCanRx, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Canada’s Stem Cell Network. OSSU also awarded an EMPOWER Project to Dr. Lalu and LabPartners patient partner lead Dr. Dawn Richards to help disseminate the work the group has completed.
“OSSU has been a key proponent and supporter from the beginning with its first support from an EMPOWER grant. OSSU’s support helped us put a resource together – a policy brief that resonated and has gone out to more than 200 individuals and organizations,” says Dr. Lalu, adding that his group has received several consultation requests on how to engage patients.
“OSSU’s leadership has been critical and I think continued support includes help to disseminate the results of the project.”
Stay tuned.