Dr. Bonnie Ramsey: Advancing Cystic Fibrosis Care Through Research
When Dr. Bonnie Ramsey first came to Seattle Children’s as a resident and fellow in 1978, no clinical research infrastructure existed. Through her dedicated efforts over the last three decades, the Pediatric Clinical Research Center (PCRC) and the Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutic Development Network (TDN), which develops CF clinical studies at sites across the country, were born.
Along the way, her research has led to dramatic improvements in the quality and length of lives for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) around the world. As an internationally renowned investigator and clinician, Dr. Ramsey’s clinical research concentrates on treating lung infections in children with CF, an inherited disease that affects about 30,000 people in the United States. Nearly 25 years ago, the life expectancy of CF patients was only 17 years. Now the life expectancy is 35 years, and about half of all CF patients are adults.
Research Made the Difference
Along with Dr. Arnold Smith — now interim director of the Center for Childhood Infections and Prematurity Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute — Dr. Ramsey was a vital part of the Children's research that led to a breakthrough CF treatment: TOBI™, an inhalable form of an existing antibiotic called tobramycin that is delivered directly to the lungs, where it is needed most, while limiting unnecessary exposure to others parts of the body. TOBI is now virtually a standard treatment for CF patients.
Dr. Ramsey has continued to seek further advances in treating CF. In 1998, along with Judy Williams, RN, Dr. Ramsey started the TDN to facilitate CF clinical studies with funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The concept of the TDN is two-pronged: 1) soliciting therapeutic development grants to invest in and develop new therapies, and 2) developing clinical trial networks to make human studies more efficient. The TDN currently has 40 people on staff and 10 multicenter trials in various stages. It has completed 60 trials since opening its doors in 1998.
The TDN is successful because of its close link to both the statistical expertise provided by Dr. Richard Kronmal at the University of Washington and the clinical expertise of Dr. Ramsey. They have established a talented team to develop, analyze and manage data from start to finish and, in the process, created a model for other clinical programs.
“The impetus to create the TDN was a lot of important discoveries and advances in laboratories,” explains Dr. Ramsey. “The CF Foundation wanted to expedite translating these therapies into practice.”
One current area of study is trying to understand how to combat infections from bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), which cause most CF patients’ deaths. So, under Dr. Ramsey’s leadership, Children’s is one of 55 sites of the Early Pseudomonas Infection Control (EPIC) study, a 300-patient study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is scheduled to conclude in 2009.
Leveraging Cystic Fibrosis Experience
Using her experience in building the infrastructure needed for CF research, Dr. Ramsey is now also focused on her next big challenge: creating the building blocks to advance the whole spectrum of clinical and translational research.
In October 2007, she was named co-principal investigator of the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The goal of the CTSA is to help further establish clinical and translational research as its own unique discipline and jump-start the careers of investigators pursuing this area of research. Dr. Ramsey will facilitate the construction of the CTSA’s new infrastructure — a very fitting role for someone devoted to developing clinical research avenues.
As director of Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research, her center will be one of the primary arms of the CTSA and will work collaboratively with other institutions, such as the University of Washington, to break down bureaucratic barriers that impede the progress of clinical research and discourage the start-up of new research projects.
An unassuming visionary figure, Dr. Ramsey’s career has been full of accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Washington’s General Clinical Research Center and even a 928-ton barge christened the Bonnie R in her honor.
Yet she continues to focus on the future, looking forward to the work ahead while also remembering her original inspiration to keep fighting against CF.
“CF patients are just pillars in the face of adversity,” she says. “They have been my motivation since my earliest days researching CF.”
This article is adapted from a December 2007 article ininteraction.