Our mission is to promote clinical research, particularly in regions or countries where the practice of medicine coexists with the use of traditional remedies. This organization that seeks to promote clinical research beyond borders is inspired by the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) model. MSF works to make medical care accessible to low-income populations. Similarly, the cost of clinical research prevents these communities from addressing research questions that emerge from their history and traditional practices. We aim to create training programs and to initiate local clinical trials that can validate traditional therapies. With the goal of standardizing traditional therapies, we create opportunities and models for the participation of local researchers and patients in studies conducted at centers operating beyond their borders.
Current challenges in clinical research on traditional therapies.
Certain types of tests or analyses are not available locally. The absence of a review committee and an approval mechanism for the therapies under study constitutes a major obstacle. CSI is working on the creation and management of these committees in accordance with local and international regulations or requirements.
Economic impact
The validation of traditional therapies can stimulate agricultural production linked to healthcare demand. Even prior to clinical validation, the need for substantial quantities of natural products can encourage local production and thus contribute to economic development.
What are Clinical Trials?
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/clinical-trials-and-studies/what-are-clinical-trials-and-studies
Nature and its biodiversity have been a source of therapies for humankind for over 30,000 years.
Nature and its biodiversity are among the greatest reservoirs of therapeutic molecules and, historically, the largest source of inspiration for the development of modern medicines. Nature represents the most accessible reserve of therapeutic potential for disadvantaged populations. This is evidenced by the extensive documentation of traditional medicines in scientific journals focusing on natural products, functional foods, and even ethnology.
However, major investments in biodiversity protection in so-called disadvantaged regions are often not accompanied by financial support for the clinical validation of therapeutic observations derived from traditional treatments, nor for their transformation into standards of practice that could ensure their routine use in clinical settings.
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A validation for a given disease could generate hypotheses supporting the expansion of a therapy toward the treatment of diseases beyond its traditional indication. This situation, which delays the emergence of scientific breakthroughs benefiting underserved populations, may result from four principal causes: (1) the absence of organizations coordinating efforts in the field of therapeutic translation of reported observations; (2) the lack of collaboration or coordination among medical personnel across hospitals within the same region; (3) the absence of infrastructure in these regions for preclinical and clinical validation; and (4) the hesitation to initiate highly costly clinical trials based solely on traditional uses that are not supported by preliminary scientific data.
The principal objective of Clinical Sciences International – Sciences Cliniques Internationales – Scienze Cliniche Internazionali is to help overcome these obstacles by financially supporting research projects aimed at: (1) training local stakeholders in the principles of clinical research; (2) establishing or identifying expert committees capable of evaluating compliance of clinical trials with Good Clinical Practice standards; (3) creating and establishing institutional peer groups or committees able to ensure approval of clinical trial proposals according to internationally recognized standards; and (4) developing the computing and biostatistical capacity required to securely store and analyze research data.