Evaluating Impact of Cerebral Contusions on Brain Network Dysfunction and Epileptogenesis Among Patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries

ABSTRACT

The funding for study EP170034 was granted to LSU Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC (Shreveport on September 15th, 2018. The study protocol was approved by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), Office of Research Protections (ORP), Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) on June 7th, 2019. Dr. Hai Sun accepted the job offer from Rutgers University. He resigned from LSUHSC effectively on August 31st and began serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at RWJMS at Rutgers University (RU) on September 9th, 2019. The DOD and CDMRP granted the permission to transfer the study from LSUHSC to RWJMS at RU. The transfer was completed in March, 2020. Then the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted the suspension of all research effort in March. Currently RU is undergoing Phase 3 reopening and the current regulation still prohibits any research study involving face-to-face interaction with human subjects. EP170034 falls in this category. In the meantime, the IRB committee at RWJMS at RU has approved our study protocol on July 8, 2020. This continuing review of this study protocol was submitted to the USAMRDC, ORP, and HRPO on July 15, 2020. We are waiting for the permission from RU to resume research studies involving face-to-face interaction with human subjects. We have necessary study infrastructure to begin subject recruitment as soon as the permission is granted.