Clinical Trials and Preclinical Infrastructure Asset Map - Life Sciences

CLINICAL TRIALS AND PRECLINICAL INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET MAP
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CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN)
The CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) (www.hivnet.ubc.ca) is a national organization with the
centre based out of St. Paul’s Hospital. The CTN provides a national and regional infrastructure to facilitate
clinical trials in HIV/AIDS, employing managers, statisticians, data methodologists, and communications
officers at the Vancouver national centre. Services include development of a clinical trial from first
concept to final protocol, as well as management of all aspects of a trial. Study sites providing the subjects
for clinical trials are located across Canada. There are five sites located in B.C. (1 St. Paul’s Hospital, 2
downtown Vancouver, 1 Victoria, 1 Kelowna). The CTN coordinates and manages all these sites – it does
not recruit patients at its own centre.
The CTN sites conduct Phases II, III and IV clinical trials. In 2008/9 they accrued 417 patients.
The National Director of the Network is Dr. Martin Schechter, whose details can be found in Appendix
6. He works with 34 Principal Investigators and 85 associate investigators across Canada The Network’s
structure in the Vancouver national centre is shown in Figure A6.
The national network has a staff of 47 across Canada. Network staffing in the Vancouver national centre
is as follows:
Project Managers
Study Coordinators
4 (40 across
Canada)
Clinical Trials
Assistant
Data Managers
Data Entry
Pharmacy/
Lab Staff
Other
1 3 2 0 19*
* 1 Chief Scientific Officer, 2 Health Economists, 2 IT technicians (part-time), 4 statisticians, 3 database programmers, 3 communications
staff, 4 administrative staff (accounting, contracts, receptionists, general support).
For trial approval, Network investigators must apply to the Network using a Study Proposal Application
Form. The protocol and informed consent forms are developed using the Network’s Protocol, Protocol
Outline and Model Informed Consent templates. New studies are reviewed by the Scientific Review
Committee and the Community Advisory Committee; these committees offer their reviews to the
Executive Management Committee who make the final decision to approve a new Network supported
study.
FIGURE A6. CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network
Martin Schechter / Aslam Anis
National Directors
Jim Pankovich
CSO
Joel Singer
Head of D&M
David Cox
CAO
Data & Methodology
Finance & Admin
(includes HR & IT)
Pharmaeconomics
Communications &
Information
Project Management
Postdoctoral Fellows
International