Curie-Cancer trebles number of early phase clinical research studies
Rise is direct result of changes in strategic direction and recent launch of the Clinical Research Department
Curie-Cancer, the body responsible for developing Institut Curie’s industry partnership activities, saw the number of early stage clinical trials (Phase I) rise from three in 2010 to 10 in 2012. The studies are being conducted with industry partners.
The French group says the rise in the number of studies is a direct result of the changes in strategic direction put in place by Professor Pierre Teillac, Director of the Institut Curie Hospital Group, and the recent launch of the Clinical Research Department, headed by Veronique Dieras, in response to the needs of industry partners.
The studies that aim to evaluate drug safety and pharmacokinetics in patients to establish the subsequent dosage of the drug are becoming increasingly crucial to pharmaceutical companies, who seek experienced investigation that is reliable, efficient and reduces turnaround time.
‘The 2012 increase in early stage clinical trials for Curie-Cancer is rather remarkable. Due to contracts signed at the start of 2013, we expect the number to continue to climb significantly,’ said Christophe Le Tourneau, the oncologist responsible for Institut Curie’s early stage clinical studies.
‘We have many diverse industry partners working on studies of different types of cancer. They range from French SMEs to international groups.’
Dr Patricia Tresca, who has extensive experience within the pharmaceutical industry, now leads the body in charge of managing clinical trials for Curie-Cancer. She was recruited for her working knowledge of the industry partner types Curie-Cancer targets.