Category: <span>Blog</span>

The last meeting of 2019 will be held on Wed 18 December with a submission deadline date of Wed 4 December. The first meeting of 2020 will be on Thursday 2 January with a submission deadline of Wed 11 December.

The Bellberry office will be closed from Tues 24 December at 5 pm until Thurs 2 January at 9 am. There will be no HREC meetings on Wed 25 December or Wed 1 January 2020 (public holidays).

Meeting Date     Submission Date

Thurs 2 Jan            Wed 11 Dec
Wed 8 Jan              Wed 18 Dec
Wed 15 Jan            Thurs 2 Jan

Meetings will continue to be held every Wednesday for 2020 with the submission date 2 weeks before the meeting date.

The International Scientific Congress is taking place next week on Wednesday 20 November. Numbers are strictly limited and there are now only a few places available! Register now to secure your place. Patient groups are reminded that fee-free places can be accessed by contacting events@bellberry.com.au

Bellberry extends sincere congratulations to our Committee B Chair, Emeritus Professor James Toouli, on being awarded the 2019 Master of the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) Award in Istanbul recently.  This Award is in honour of Jim’s exceptional professional and personal contributions to the field of gastroenterology and its related disciplines, and especially his efforts in the less well-developed regions of the world and in service to the populations WGO is focussed on.

The Master of the WGO (MWGO) Award is the highest honour the WGO can bestow on a member and is granted only to those individuals who have provided outstanding dedication to the mission of the WGO and achieved distinction in such areas as scholarly research, teaching, service to WGO and the community at large.

This is a capstone career award and is given in conjunction with each World Congress of Gastroenterology.

Last week at the AAHMS 5th Annual General Meeting the Academy admitted 40 new Fellows in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the health and medical research landscape in Australia. In addition, the Academy has elected two global research leaders as Corresponding Fellows.

The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences also launched its first honorific award, the Jian Zhou Medal, which will be awarded annually to a rising star of Australian health and medical science. The Medal is named in honour of late Dr Jian Zhou, a talented molecular biologist and virologist, who worked with Professor Ian Frazer AC to develop and patent the technology underpinning the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines, which protect women worldwide against viruses that cause cervical cancer.

The Medal will recognise an individual who is making a significant impact in translational medical science, primarily working in Australia. The recipient will be a postdoctoral researcher within 15 years of achieving their PhD (or equivalent first research higher degree) and nominations are welcome from all fields associated with furthering biomedical and health research, whether clinical or basic biomedical research, but must have a clear translational focus.

For more information on the Medal and how to nominate a candidate, please visit the AAHMS website.

The Annual General Meeting was a resounding success and Bellberry were proud to be in attendance as well as a Platinum sponsor of the event.

ACTA International Clinical Trials Conference in partnership with the Department of Health

The last meeting of 2019 will be held on Wed 18 December with a submission deadline date of Wed 4 December. The first meeting of 2020 will be on Thursday 2 January with a submission deadline of  Wed 11 December.

The Bellberry office will be closed from Tues 24 December at 5pm until Thurs 2 January at 9am. There will be no HREC meetings on Wed 25 December 2019 or Wed 1 January 2020.

[one-half-first]Meeting Date[/one-half-first]
[one-half]Submission Date[/one-half]

Meetings will continue to be held every Wednesday for 2020 with the submission date 2 weeks prior to the meeting date.

AAHMS (Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences) is the impartial, authoritative, cross-sector voice of health and medical science in Australia. They are an independent, interdisciplinary body of 357 Fellows (soon to be 399) – elected by their peers for their distinguished achievements and exceptional contributions to health and medical science in Australia. Collectively, they are a representative and independent voice, who engage with the community, industry and governments. The Academy is uniquely positioned to convene cross-sector stakeholders from across Australia to address the most pressing health challenges facing society.

AAHMS was formalised in 2013 as a result of a gap in the sector for Health and Medical Sciences. At the time four Academy’s existed; Science, Engineering & Technology, Social Science and Humanities but there was no specific Academy for Health and Medical Sciences. So AAHMS was formally established in 2014 with Professor Ian Frazer as President to provide an impartial and authoritative voice for healthcare and medical science practice, to drive policy issues forwards and to provide leadership, inspiration and support to the next generation of budding medical science leaders. AAHMS is governed by an elected Board and Council.

The Academy began with 15 fellows and today has 357 with another 42 being formally welcomed at this year’s Annual General and Scientific Meeting. Becoming a Fellow is a competitive process which can take up to 12 months. Nominations are made through recommendations and peer review and candidates must meet a robust criterion which includes making significant contributions to research. The Academy strives to maintain a Fellowship base made up of a diverse range of expertise and disciplines. Of the 42 new Fellows joining the Academy, 19 are female and 2 are corresponding Fellows from overseas.

Catherine Luckin is the current CEO of AAHMS and joined the Academy in 2018 when the Brisbane office was set up. Catherine has a decade of experience supporting research and innovation, particularly in the health and medical sciences – through roles in policy, public affairs, strategy and international relations. Until December 2016, she was Head of International at the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS), the UK’s National Academy for health and medical research. She led a team of staff to deliver initiatives designed to respond to global health challenges, influence policy and promote international mobility, connections and capacity building. Catherine as the first CEO that AAHMS has had leads a dedicated Secretariat team, manages Governance and policy issues and drives forward the Academy’s strategic objectives.

This year’s 5^th General and Scientific Annual Meeting will be held 9 – 11 October in Perth. The Academy has 5 state branches covering all the states and territories and this event is a great opportunity to brings all of the Fellows together. The theme of the meeting this year is ‘Infectious diseases: threats old and new’. It has been 100 years since the Spanish Flu arrived in Australia and from here, the meeting will consider the national and global prospects for tackling current and emerging threats – known and unknown. Questions to be explored include:

What are the prospects for eliminating infectious diseases?
How will the world tackle the next pandemic – ‘Disease X’?

The meeting will also celebrate Professor Ian Frazer’s Presidency and welcome incoming President Professor Ingrid Scheffer. Professor Scheffer is an Australian paediatric neurologist and senior research fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. She has made several major advances in the field of epilepsy research and is credited with finding the first gene implicated in epilepsy. Prof Ian Frazer will maintain his position on the AAHMS Board and will continue to remain heavily involved in the Academy.

Bellberry is delighted to continue to support the Academy and will again be sponsoring this year’s General and Scientific Annual Meeting.

Bellberry is delighted to be both sponsoring and exhibiting at this years ACTA International Clinical Trials Conference, 2 – 5 October, Sydney.

The conference brings together Australian and international experts in the cutting-edge design and conduct of clinical trials and registry custodianship, healthcare funding, policy and regulation, health care service delivery, health information technology, health economics and patient advocacy.

The Conference theme is ACTA’s reason for being – Better Health Through Best Evidence – providing a platform for national and international stakeholders to share global advances in the development of self-improving healthcare systems.

The program will address:

• Revolutions in clinical trials
• Data access and open access in trials
• Embedding clinical trials in routine practice
• Novel trial designs and conduct
• Maximising the value of clinical registries
• Interface with industry partners
• Improving public awareness
• The vital role of consumer involvement in clinical research

Bellberry is proud to be a part of this valuable event which is integral to the advancement of clinical trials research in Australia and internationally. We look forward to seeing you there!

Find out more and register on the conference website

• Conference Program
• Confirmed Speakers

CT:IQ Webinar: Wednesday 18 September 2019, 13:00 – 14:00 (ACST)

Click here to enrol: http://praxisaustralia.com.au/enrol-now 

CT:IQ is MTPConnect and member-funded Clinical Trials sector improvement initiative with government support from the TGA, PBAC, MSAC, NHMRC and the Office of Health & Medical Research within the Department of Health.

CT:IQ’s mission is to develop and implement recommendations that will improve the impact, quality and efficiency of clinical trials, leading to more rapid, lower cost and higher quality evaluation of healthcare interventions in Australia – our mission is to get Australia Thinking Smarter about the conduct of clinical trials!

CT:IQ’s vision is to act as a platform for all stakeholder voices to come together.  CT:IQ’s membership is comprised of 40 diverse organisations with national and international representation from government, pharma, device organisations, CROs, academia, medical research institutes, phase 1 units, CTNs, advocacy groups and consumer representatives.  CT:IQ is the only initiative where government and clinical trial stakeholders in both investigator-led and industry trials sectors can come together to undertake meaningful sector improvement initiatives.  This will lead to a more meaningful integration of clinical trials into the Australian health care system, resulting in better healthcare and better outcomes for patients, participants and the community.

CT:IQ are conducing five projects in 2019 selected and prioritised against the needs of the sector by our Steering Committee members in the following areas:

• Toolkit for involving Consumers;
• eConsent;
• Early Phase trials;
• Recruitment;
• Biomarker-directed therapies.

During this webinar CT:IQ Director Leanne Weekes, will provide updates on all five 2019 projects.

This interactive session will also be an opportunity to ask questions and find out more about CT:IQ and how to get involved.

The CT:IQ Steering Committee has a small number of remaining seats therefore your participation is a rare opportunity for your organisation to have a voice.

ClinTrial Refer Webinar: Tues 24 September, 11:00 – 12:00

Click here for further information on the ClinTrial Refer Webinar (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Last week our Member Manager Cathy Stevens celebrated 10 years at Bellberry! Cathy actually started her Bellberry life in 2008 as an HREC Committee member but not long after commenced her full time role as Member Manager. Cathy liaises with and co-ordinates over 130 HREC Committee members ensuring that our eight HREC Committees maintain a high calibre of membership across the board.

Cathy is a much-loved member of the Bellberry community and we the team wishes her many congratulations. Here’s to another 10 years!

Bellberry along with CT:IQ is sponsoring this 2-day conference in Melbourne. Jerneen Williams, Early Phase Clinical Trials Manager at Bellberry, will be attending along with CT:IQ Programme Manager Leanne Weekes. Bio Connections Australia is an annual, national event designed to foster the growth of early phase clinical research in Australia. For more information on the conference please visit the Bio Connections website.

The Bellberry team were recently invited to visit SAHMRI to see and hear first hand the research activity that is underway with the aid of Bellberry funding.

Back in 2014 SAHMRI’s Mind and Brain Theme Leader, Prof Julio Licinio was awarded the inaugural Bellberry Mind and Brain Fellowship. The recipient of the Fellowship was Dr Michael Musker. The Bellberry team met with Dr Musker who has worked on several initiatives since 2014 including a highly innovative project on gene-environment interactions. Dr Musker talked with the team about the projects that he has worked on since coming to SAHMRI in 2014 including the following:

• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-04/workplace-stress-burnout-symptoms-and-signs-diagnosis/11174404
• https://theconversation.com/suicide-rates-are-rising-with-or-without-13-reasons-why-lets-use-it-as-a-chance-to-talk-116434
• https://theconversation.com/if-youre-coming-off-antidepressants-withdrawals-and-setbacks-may-be-part-of-the-process-114179

The team also met with Prab Takhar, Director of SAHMRI’s cyclotron. In 2017 Bellberry launched its partnership with SAHMRI to establish the Bellberry Molecular Imaging Program. This program studies how diseases may behave differently in individual patients, with important implications in the development of a more personalised approach to disease diagnosis and treatment. Molecular imaging has enabled the ability to use radiopharmaceuticals to study the functionality and progression of diseases ranging from bone, breast and prostate cancers, through to Parkinson’s Disease, Epilepsy and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Read more on Prab’s recent work in the Bellberry Molecular Imaging Unit:

https://www.sahmri.org/research-theme/news-246/

Bellberry are delighted to announce that we have appointed Athena Seltsikas as HR Business Partner, to assist with our continued growth and development.

Athena has more than 20 years experience in a variety of Human Resources roles across organisations such as SA Water, ElectraNet, Weber Stephens and Telstra.  In more recent times, Athena has had experience of Not For Profit organisations in the healthcare sector.  In addition to supporting HR , Athena has been responsible for major HR projects such as recruitment campaigns, workforce development, leadership development and the development and deployment of training and professional development resources.

Athena will work in close partnership with other members of the Bellberry Leadership Team and the team as a whole to support change and growth.

CT:IQ Overview

In 2018 Bellberry Ltd, ACTA, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre and The George Institute have formed a consortium called Clinical Trials: Impact & Quality (CT:IQ). CT:IQ’s mission is to develop and implement recommendations that will improve the impact, quality and efficiency of clinical trials, leading to more rapid, lower cost and higher quality evaluation of healthcare interventions in Australia.

CT:IQ acts as a platform for all stakeholder voices to come together.  By forming project teams to identify challenges, they aim to explore, solve and implement solutions in both investigator-led and industry trials sectors.  This will lead to a more meaningful integration of clinical trials into the Australian health system, resulting in better healthcare and better outcomes for patients, participants and the community as a whole.  To participate or for more information visit www.ctiq.com.au or email info@ctiq.com.au

Project 1:  Consumer Involvement & Engagement (CI&E) Toolkit

CI&E is critical to fostering consumer access to innovative therapeutic solutions and delivering better health outcomes for patients, participants and the community.  This collaborative project between CT:IQ and the Australian Clinical Trial Alliance (ACTA) will foster best practice across the research sector by providing a mechanism to share resources both locally and internationally via a public website.  This platform will provide tools to support CI and CE within Clinical Trials (CTs) activities and seek opportunities to increase the awareness, knowledge and capacity of the wider community.  The content specialist, Tanya Symons was appointed in April, along with platform developer, Orchard.  The first workshop socialising some of the tools was held on 6 May.  The website will be launched in Quarter 4.

Project 2:  eConsent adoption:  Barriers and Recommendations

eInformation and eConsent improve the quality of the consenting experience, increases patient engagement as well as the accessibility and opportunity for participation, however currently there is limited uptake in both the investigator-initiated and industry-led CT sector in Australia and globally.  This project aims to understand the barriers to eConsent adoption in Australia and to produce practical recommendations and actions to increase uptake of e-information.  The results will be released at the CT:IQ Steering Committee Meeting 24-June!

 Project 3:  Early Phase Trials Best Practise

There is currently no single source of best practice outlining expectations for the conduct of early phase, and crucially Phase I Clinical Trials in Australia.  This project aims to identify, summarise and test recommendations for best practise conduct of early Phase Clinical Trials.  This project utilises the wealth expertise and experience from the CT:IQ Steering and Executive Committees including NSW Health, Linear, CMAX, Macquarie University, Biotronik Orygen, Centre for Biostatistics and Clinical Trials at the Peter MacCallum, Cancer Trials Australia, Icon Cancer Group, a consumer representative, VCCC, the Medical Technology Association of Australia and Bellberry Ltd. The project is in the evidence-gathering phase.  The guidance will be released in December 2019.

Project 4:  CT Recruitment:  Barriers and Recommendations

This project is focused on addressing sub-optimal rates of Clinical Trial participation and will provide practical guidance for sites for optimising recruitment which is broadly applicable and translational.  Similar to Project 3, this project is also in the evidence gathering phase with a survey on the barriers and enablers for Clinical Trial recruitment launching within the month so please keep an eye out!

 Project 5:  Guidelines for biomarker-directed therapies in personalised medicine: Tools for assessment

Currently, there is a lack of guidance around the criteria that should be used to assess evidence for individualised/personalised clinical decisions especially linked to patient’s biomarker profile. This collaborative project between CT:IQ, the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) and Utrecht University will develop a theoretical framework which will be valuable for policy makers including the PBAC and MSAC as well as clinicians to optimise patient treatment decisions.  This project is just launching now.