VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – Velocity Clinical Research Syracuse celebrated the grand opening of its new, larger clinic with a ribbon cutting last week.
The event the morning of Aug. 3 took place inside the research company’s ground-level Building B suite at 5000 Brittonfield Parkway in East Syracuse, just a few miles down the road from its previous space at 6700 Kirkville Road.
The second spot, which has been taking in patients since July 25, boasts nine specialized exam rooms for memory testing, infusion therapy, liver scanning and other treatment services.
In an effort to combat memory loss and the presence of other diseases in Central New York and the surrounding area, the local clinic conducts clinical trials on ways to more easily diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, examine its risk factors and prevent its progression while branching into research regarding respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Lyme disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fatty liver disease and flu vaccines.
Founded by Lisa Sonneborn in 2017 as Clarity Clinical Research, the company has doubled in staff and tripled its number of available, active trials since joining the global network of integrated clinical site organization Velocity Clinical Research at the end of 2021, thus necessitating the enhanced accommodations and uniting it under an umbrella with over 30 other locations across the United States and Europe.
Kristen Stebbins, the site director for the Syracuse division, said she is “excited” by the move.
“It’s just a great opportunity for the community that we can have this state-of-the-art facility where we can grow our clinical trials,” Stebbins said. “The kind of trial that’s interesting to one person is going to be very different from what interests someone else, so offering more opportunities will get more people involved.”
Dr. Robert Cupelo, Velocity Syracuse’s principal investigator responsible for making sure subjects are treated safely, ethically and fairly, said these expanded opportunities speed up the development, evaluation, clearance and release of drugs for general medical use.
Calling clinical trials “truly critical” to all aspects of patient care, he said such studies have examined the effectiveness of operating room procedures and resulted in the introduction of devices like blood sugar monitors and pacemakers.
“Most people don’t realize just how important clinical drug trials are for everyday life,” Cupelo said.
As for the new site, he said it has an abundance of connected parking and convenience as a stop on a bus route, while Stebbins said a plus is its quieter setting and noise-reducing distance from other offices in the building in comparison to the Kirkville Road space.
In addition to holding a public open house on Saturday, Velocity Syracuse is presently recruiting participants willing to volunteer for two active studies in return for free testing, possible treatment and a potential stipend for their time and effort. According to Cupelo, the East Syracuse-based company is also committed to reaching out to populations “traditionally underrepresented” in clinical research like adults from the African American, Hispanic, Asian and Indigenous communities.
“The hope that I see in the eyes of trial participants and their caregivers is the reason I do this,” Stebbins said. “And the only thing that our team wants is to find even more ways to bring that hope, and the promise for a cure, to our local community members.”
For more information, visit velocityclinical.com or follow the East Syracuse clinic on Facebook.