Cancer will affect one in three Irish women and one in two Irish men during their lifetime and causes considerable suffering in our society. Clinical trials improve cancer outcomes, facilitating access to them will help patients. Consequently, the Health Research Board (HRB) has funded University affiliated sites located in cancer centers. The activity of these HRB Clusters will be supported and integrated through a network which involves a collaboration between Cancer Trials Ireland (CTI) and the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI)
CTI is a national, not for profit organization, whose mission is to provide every cancer patient access to high-quality and potentially life-saving cancer trials. In the past 3 years it has allowed Irish patients access to 180 national and internationally conducted trials, enrolling 20,000 patients on trials in 20 years. RCSI, its new university partner, is a leading Health Science University with an established record in cancer research and education.
Successful conduct of clinical trials involves critical expertise in discovery, in patient safety and in qualified staff, combined with patient participation and engagement. The impact of a network requires successful, safe, integration between all of these factors. CTI has an established track record in the conduct, monitoring, sponsorship and supervision of patient safety in clinical trials and will support and provide oversight in this area to the HRB Clusters. Both RCSI and CTI have track records in patient engagement and involvement, a record that will be enhanced by their partnership through access to national networks. The integration of discovery from the university associated HRB Clusters to patients will be facilitated by RCSI’s expertise in bench to bedside translation. The education mission of RCSI will assist HRB Clusters to maintain and enhance skills in existing staff and nurture the next generation of clinical researchers.
