Clinical Research Unit (CRU)
Clinical research at the Gerald C. Baines Centre for Translational Cancer Research is carried out through disease-specific multidisciplinary teams: breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynecological, head and neck, central nervous system, skin, thoracic, sarcoma, neuroendocrine and through the Supportive Care Program.
The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) offers the following services
- access to a large patient population across multiple disease sites;
- study design, protocol development and methodological advice,
- database development, support and form design;
- statistical support including sample size, analysis and interpretation of results;
- management of ethics documentation, including initial submissions, amendments and safety reports;
- completion of regulatory documentation;
- patient recruitment;
- case report form completion;
- long-term follow-up for adjuvant trials;
- design and maintenance of tumour bank and database projects;
- sample collection for pharmacokinetic studies;
- quality assurance
The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) has extensive experience
- regularly recruits between 250-400 patients each year for 50 to 70 active trials.
- has developed close collaborations with cooperative groups such as the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network, Cancer Care Ontario; specifically the SouthWest Regional Cancer Program, Ontario Institution of Cancer Research, and the pharmaceutical industry along with LRCP's Schulich Western's Department of Oncology clinicians, Lawson Research Health Institute researchers, and Western University researchers.
- implemented quality control procedures which have been validated by multiple external audits
- it's staff have developed and published an innovative patient assessment record (PAR) of treatment toxicities, widely adopted by other clinical research programs
- major participation in studies which resulted in changes to standard of care
For more information about the CRU, please contact Richard McClelland.
