The Biostatistics Center at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) has received an $18.6 million award to continue funding clinical trials and diagnostic studies of antibiotic-resistant infections. The Biostatistics Center serves as the statistical and data management center for the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG), which is a collaborative clinical research network that prioritizes designs and executes clinical research to combat antibiotic resistance. Scott Evans, PhD, MS, director of the Biostatistics Center and chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Milken Institute SPH, serves as the leader of the statistical and data management center and a member of the executive committee for the ALRG.
More than 35,000 people in the United States die each year from antibiotic resistance infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ARLG works to develop countermeasures against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including innovative techniques such as vaccines and phages, and alterations to a person’s microbiome to fight infection. With the continued funding, which will extend ARLG’s efforts for the next seven years, researchers will improve diagnostic tests for identifying antibiotic-resistant bacteria and conduct research to optimize the use of existing antibiotics.
As the statistical and data management center, the Biostatistics Center collaborates with clinical researchers on the study design, data monitoring, statistical analyses, and the publishing of study results. The Biostatistics Center advances the ARLG’s mission by enhancing the scientific value and efficiency of ARLG studies through development and implementation of innovative practical methods for the design, data monitoring, analyses and reporting of ARLG studies.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to continue our scientific collaborations with our clinical and laboratory colleagues in the ARLG, which has a key role in research that will ultimately improve the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of antibiotic resistant infections,” Evans said. “The numerous scientific challenges in studies of antibiotic resistance accentuates the need for statistical innovation. The Biostatistics Center has a critical leadership role in the ARLG’s research agenda and operations.”
The Biostatistics Center has a 47-year history of leadership in practice-changing clinical trials and biostatistical methodology research. In 2019, Milken Institute SPH established the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics with Evans as the founding chair. The newly established department elevates the school’s commitment to the quantitative sciences and supports the larger university’s focus on science, technology, engineering and math.
To learn more about the Biostatistics Center and ARLG, click here.