Study Conduct

UMass, U.K. to collaborate on stem cell projects

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 12:11 PM

A collaboration surrounding stem cell categorization, distribution and possible funding for joint research projects has been signed between the University of Massachusetts Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry and the United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank, according to a report in Mass High Tech.

The signing took place in Hertfordshire, England during Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011, which has been touring Israel and Europe to drum up collaborations between researchers and companies in those areas and Massachusetts, primarily in the life sciences.

The two stem cell banks plan to share best practices for stem cell banking and to collaborate on standards for stem cell line characterization, production and distribution in the U.S. and the U.K.

The UMass Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry was proposed in 2007 and established in 2008, with funding from the $1 billion Life Sciences Act.  The registry started officially offering its seven stem cell lines to researchers working on treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and juvenile diabetes in 2011.

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Biogen signs license agreement with PharmaPros

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:57 AM

Biogen Idec has signed a three-year enterprise license for PharmaPros' automated study management solution, Dataflow Manager. The deal includes unlimited studies and unlimited users for the duration of the license.

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Phlexglobal recruits research nurses for trials

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:52 AM

U.K.-based CRO Phlexglobal has expanded its resourcing capabilities by launching a Research Nurse Bank to supply skilled nursing staff on a temporary basis to both commercial and National Health Service clients, according to PharmaTimes.

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Oracle targets patient recruitment

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:29 AM

Oracle is putting its integration knowledge to work on one of the most difficult clinical trial tasks: patient recruitment. And it’s focusing on one of the most difficult environments, though one of the richest in candidates: hospitals, according to Fierce BiotechIT.

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Many trials exclude depressed patients

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:20 AM

When the FDA announced in 2009 that Pfizer’s smoking-cessation drug Chantix would need to carry a restrictive "black box" warning label, the move didn't really surprise the market, according to a Reuters report.

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Almac partners with Exco InTouch

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:05 AM

Almac’s Clinical Technologies business unit, a provider of IXRS (Interactive Voice and Web Response) services for patient and drug supply management, has formed an integrated patient management alliance with Exco InTouch, a firm specializing in patient recruitment, retention, compliance and ePRO services. The alliance will focus on the integration of technology and processes by both firms to deliver patient management, compliance, retention and ePRO service offerings to sponsors of clinical trials.

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Survey: Large sites winning more trials than small; Internet use not as widespread as thought

Monday, March 21, 2011 08:05 AM

Are large sites—hospitals, academic medical centers—getting all the trials, while smaller sites continue to fight for the work that’s left over?

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Russia's clinical trials are a thriving business

Friday, March 18, 2011 01:31 PM

ClinStar, a CRO providing clinical research services in Russia and Eastern Europe, discussed the benefits of conducting clinical trials in Russia in an interview with NPR Marketplace health desk reporter Gregory Warner.

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Report: U.S. needs national registry for study volunteers

Thursday, March 17, 2011 12:21 PM

The U.S. should consider establishing a national registry for healthy volunteers participating in phase I clinical trials to guard against the risks of overlapping enrollment and protect data integrity, Pharma Times reports from a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Health Research Bus takes trials on the road

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 01:16 PM

A mobile clinical research facility developed in the U.K. as part of an alliance between the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick has started recruiting its first patients in Birmingham for three studies organized by the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research facility at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, according to Pharma Times.

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