Cairns is set to open a dedicated Clinical Trials Centre of Excellence, giving Far North Queensland patients earlier access to groundbreaking treatments for tropical diseases and other unique regional health challenges.
Patients will be able to be involved in more cutting-edge medical treatments under plans to expand Cairns Hospital’s clinical trials unit.
As part of the $1 billion expansion of the hospital, a dedicated clinical trials research centre of excellence will be established in the new Health Innovation and Surgical Centre building, which is expected to be completed by 2031.
The research centre will include 8 overnight beds designed for high-end clinical research.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Leena Singh said the new facilities would allow the health service to expand its clinical trials program into Phase 1 and 2 studies, to test new treatments on patients for the first time.
‘Tropical Far North Queensland faces some very distinct health needs not experienced in most parts of Australia such as tropical infectious diseases and environmental health challenges,’ Ms Singh said.
‘That specificity is not a limitation but a research asset.
‘Patient cohorts in Cairns, Far North Queensland and the broader Asia-Pacific region represent conditions and demographics that are underrepresented in trials conducted in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, meaning that drug and other therapeutic trials may not react exactly the same for our community, everyone has a different metabolic make up and having trial participants from the Far North Queensland region will ensure they are captured in the data and efficacy.
‘This new centre will mean our patients may get access to treatments years before they would otherwise see them. That's a genuine equity issue for regional Queensland, and it's one we have a responsibility to act on.’
There are approximately 70 clinical trials underway across CHHHS providing research in areas of mosquito-borne illness, respiratory conditions, and cancer.
CHHHS Director of Research, Dr Eddy Strivens, said the new centre would provide the necessary infrastructure to expand the clinical trials unit.
‘Dedicated trial units require specialised facilities, including monitored infusion suites, pharmacy compounding capability, secure data management, and the kind of staffing continuity that gives sponsors confidence in protocol adherence and data quality,’ Dr Strivens said.
‘Getting that infrastructure right is the foundation upon which a credible trials program is built.’
Dr Strivens said the expansion would create significant economic and workforce benefits.
‘This new centre will create new specialist roles, including research nurses, trial coordinators, data managers, and pharmacists with clinical trials experience, that anchor skilled professionals in the region,’ he said.
‘It also creates a gravitational pull for clinician-researchers who might otherwise see relocation to a metropolitan centre as the only viable career path.
‘Retaining and attracting that talent has a direct benefit for the quality of care delivered across the whole health service.’
He said the centre would also allow the health service to build new relationships with research institutions and build on existing partnerships.
‘Partnerships will be central to making this work,’ he said.
‘Relationships with universities, the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, cooperative trial groups, and other hospital and health services will all be necessary to build the pipeline of studies and the peer networks that sustain a research culture.'