Newly expanded Clinical Research Unit manages data for researchers in Faculty of Medicine

The faculty-wide Clinical Research Unit (CRU) officially opened its doors in the summer of 2013, and has already served over 400 clinical researchers in the Faculty of Medicine.

Originally established in 2007 at the university’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute, the unit then provided data support to clinical trials and research specific to brain and mental health. The CRU has since extended its services to faculty members across the health research continuum.

With a focus largely on data management, statistical and methodological support and big data and analytics, the CRU is a custodian for a variety of large and complex data resources, from highly confidential patient information to generic anonymized health information. By working closely with Main Campus Computing and with the Faculty of Medicine Health Innovation and Information Technology Centre (HiiTec), the CRU developed cloud computing capabilities so multiple researchers can access the same large data sets and carry out complex data analysis in real time.

In addition to facilitating data access and analytics, the CRU supports researchers by providing sophisticated data management platforms. These include customized web-based tools for complex data needs, and iDataFax which is an FDA and Health Canada approved tool for managing the critical data collected in phase 3 clinical trials—the last phase before new therapies are approved.

“By virtue of having standardized platforms for data collection and analytics, the quality of clinical research produced by our faculty will be improved,” says Dr. Samuel Wiebe, associate dean of clinical research and Chair of the CRU. ”The data are now stored and managed centrally, improving the systematic process and security of the collection and management process.”

Wiebe says that because of CRU, Calgary now has the capacity to be the core of large-scale, international clinical trials.

While each research project is resource intensive, a series of processes are in place for researchers interested in utilizing the CRU’s data resources. Owing to the benefits of the technology, there is already a queue. “We’re always happy to hear from anyone who is interested in exploring what we can offer,” says Wiebe. While services are currently only available to members of the Faculty of Medicine, other faculties across the university, such as nursing, and veterinary medicine, have shown interest in the CRU capabilities and in opportunities for collaboration.