New neuro facility establishes clincial trials program

A clinical trials program for neuroscience is being established as a platform by the National Neuroscience Facility (NNF) to encourage greater involvement of Australian neuroscience researchers and clinicians in industry-sponsored and investigator driven clinical studies.

According to Prof Steve Davis, professor of neurology at the University of Melbourne and director of neurology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, a coordinated approach to clinical trials in Australia would provide a centralised point of contact and infrastructure, and would give the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry a "one stop shop" for clinical studies. Davis spoke yesterday to neuroscientists at the Brain and Mind conference, marking the launch of the NNF.

Clinical trial networks are already developing for a variety of disease areas, Davis said. One of the more organised groups is the Australasian Stroke Trials Network, which includes 35 centres in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore, and acts as an entry point for involvement in international stroke clinical trials.

"It's a resource for companies looking for trial sites," said Davis.

The proposed NNF platform will provide that resource across the neurosciences, according to National Stroke Research Institute director Prof Geoffrey Donnan, who outlined the platform at the Brain and Mind meeting.

The aim is to attract clinical trials in neuroscience to Australia, enhancing existing networks and developing new networks for other disorders, and providing core expertise in trial design and conduct, Donnan said.

The plan also includes a proposal to include a levy built into clinical trial budgets that will be fed back into the program to help fund clinical trials centres and clinical research, particularly at the early stages.

"To be sustainable, we will need to regenerate our funding," said Donnan.

The proposed clinical trials platform will work closely with Clinical Trials Victoria, a Victorian state government-funded consortium of clinical trials expertise and infrastructure.