Biostatistics Shared Resource Facility
Ramesh Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.
Resource director
(804) 827-2040
The Biostatistics Shared Resource of the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center plays a vital role in supporting research at the cancer center. Faculty members in the BSR are essential collaborators with each of the research programs. The mission of the BSR is to promote excellence in cancer research by providing outstanding biostatistical support and collaboration to Massey members.
The defining attribute of this BSR has been to provide biostatistical support to the cancer center researchers beginning in the initial experimental design stage and continuing through all phases, to the presentation of research findings and, ultimately, in the submission of scientific publications. Biostatisticians also participate in the oversight of cancer center protocols in the PRMS and monitoring committees. The emphasis on the collaborative nature of the work of this shared resource has been a major factor in optimizing its effectiveness, resulting in support from peer-reviewed grants.
In addition to collaboration at all levels in research projects and grant applications, faculty members of the BSR also contribute through methodological research that applies directly to programmatic research at Massey and in training of investigators through seminars and individual sessions. The BSR also trains postdoctoral scientists and clinical fellows through the clinical research and biostatistics training track.
The functions of the BSR and its synergy with the cancer center are presented in the diagram below.
Functions of the Biostatistics Shared Resource
Facilities and equipment
The BSR is located in Sanger Hall on VCU’s MCV Campus and is easily accessible to all Massey Cancer Center researchers. All personnel of this BSR are members of the Department of Biostatistics and have access to computer hardware and software appropriate for its mission.
The BSR depends on computing for data management, statistical analyses, internet access and administrative support. Computer support for activities of the BSR is provided by the VCU University Computing Services. All faculty members have Centrino Duo or newer computers, and students’ offices are equipped with Pentium PCs to enable them to assist BSR members. All PCs are equipped with state-of-the-art software and hardware. VCU University Computing Services provides four SGI UNIX supercomputers, with a total of 16 10,000-MIP processors and six workstations with seven processors.
In addition, the main research support computer for academic computing on the MCV Campus is an RS/6000 Scaleable POWER parallel system (SP) wide node running the AIX 4.2 operating system. The MCV Campus runs Novell NetWare v4.11 on file servers in a tree containing approximately 60 file servers and more than 20 GB of disk space and CD-ROM access. Complementing facilities available on the MCV Campus, the BSR has access to the University Computing Center’s two SGI super computers and three IBM RS-6000 SP.
Services provided
Collaborative research
The collaborative research function involves a long-term investment of time and effortby the BSR faculty involved with the Massey investigator. Examples include front-end involvement on grant proposals as well as work on funded grants. BSR faculty assist Massey researchers in developing and designing projects, writing biostatistical sections of the grant proposal, developing data collection instruments, performing biostatistical analyses at interim points and, at the end of a trial, developing new methodologies if needed, and assisting with writing the results from the trials for publication.
Methodologic research
Methodologic research in biostatistics originates from the shared resource’s collaborations and consultations with Massey researchers. Examples of such research include design of Phase II trials with retrospective biomarkers, bivariate twin methodology for multiple cancers and microarray data analysis methods.
Consulting
BSR faculty provide limited short-term advice on biostatistical issues involved in the design, conduct and analysis of research projects. Examples include preparing a study plan from the requirements of the statistical design, developing appropriate randomization and stratification procedures, managing data and assisting with the conduct of pre-clinical and clinical studies through provision of interim analyses.
Training
Training is conducted through both seminars and individual sessions with investigators. BSR faculty members also train postdoctoral scientists and clinical fellows through the clinical research and biostatistics training track.
Participation in monitoring system
The BSR faculty actively participates in Massey’s Protocol Review and Monitoring System (PRMS). All locally initiated protocols must now involve a biostatistician and must be reviewed by an independent biostatistician.
Service access and charges
The BSR offers biostatistical consultation services to all Massey members. Engagement requires submission of a brief written description of the work to be undertaken. Investigators are billed at an hourly rate for anything beyond a cursory opinion; investigators with cancer-related research proposals are referred to personnel of the BSR without charge. This no-charge policy has been important in eliminating barriers to biostatistical consultation especially for potential clinical investigators for whom biostatistical consultation is a prerequisite for application for external funding and for clinical trials review committee approval.
