In response to the rapid spread of COVID-19, we have been directed in guidance with CDC recommendations and Partners Policy to minimize to the number of personnel working in our CCI Spaces and laboratories. We realize that our investigators are working hard to improve our understanding of disease and develop new treatments for our patients, which is essential work that we don’t want to derail, but the urgency of the current pandemic we ask that some of this work be temporarily put on hold.
Partners is limiting the conduct of human subjects research including clinical trials, therefore we are closing all CCI locations for non-therapeutic studies effective immediately.
However, this policy excludes:
- Therapeutic Research: In accordance with Partners IRB guidelines, therapeutic research is any that has the potential to directly benefit the subject through therapeutic interventions.
- Research that has the potential to be life-saving or is disease-altering AND there are no appropriate alternative clinical treatments for these patients.
- Any COVID-19 research.
For a more detailed and comprehensive list of allowed Therapeutic Research, please visit here.
At this time, all studies who require the use of our spaces and CCI resources for the approved therapeutic studies above, will need to schedule through a scheduling Overbook.
Although the CCI spaces will close effective immediately to align with the Partners Policy, many staff remain offsite and available remotely to process study questions, concerns, and handle future booking of studies. Please email any questions pertaining to CCI resources to cci@bwh.harvard.edu .
We are cancelling all of the study visits currently scheduled that do not meet this therapeutic criteria, effective immediately. We anticipate this closure to continue for the next 6-8 weeks but we will continue to send updates that affect the CCI community as this situation evolves and please continue to read the BWH/Partners emails.