Celebrating International Clinical Trials day

Monday 20 May 2019

Did you know that one of the first controlled clinical trials was performed by Dr James Lind 272 years ago? 

Whilst aboard the HMS Salisbury, Dr Lind was appalled by the high mortality of scurvy amongst the crew and selected 12 patients who he separated into groups, providing a different diet to each pair.  His comparative trial quickly deduced that oranges and lemons provided the best outcome for his patients and so was born the concept of a clinical trial.

Today at Mater there are approximately 200 clinical trials currently underway across many disciplines including nursing and midwifery, all allied health disciplines and medical specialties. 

Research at Mater focuses on four key areas— mothers, babies and women’s health; cancer; chronic disease and neuroscience— and these trials have an impact that spans ages, genders and cultures, from pre-conception to end-of-life.

Mater Research Director of Strategy and Communications A/Prof Aimee Catalan said that trials are about quality of life, across the whole of life.

“Clinical trials are a tried and tested methodology and are incredibly valuable for our patient outcomes,” Aimee said.

Clinical Trials Manager Anne Tremellen said that Mater’s Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) was established in 2016 to support trials across Mater “The CTU plays an important role, by both supporting Mater people to design, conduct and translate high-quality research, while also providing the necessary expertise to enable Mater to advance its delivery of safe, efficient, cost-effective healthcare for our patients.”

“We are the first point of contact for anyone at Mater who wishes to undertake research,” Anne said.

“We are here to help researchers and can review projects and provide advice that will assist in the facilitation of their research project.

Clinical Trials performed at Mater advance clinical knowledge and provide treatment options to improve patient outcomes.


 

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