Clinical trials are essential in developing new, improved, and more effective treatments and interventions. Without trials, researchers and professionals in the field cannot properly determine whether these new treatments and interventions are safe and effective.
Furthermore, when larger group testing occurs, this allows researchers to identify and ensure that any improvements resulting from the intervention occurs for as many people as possible and are not just occurring in one individual.
Ahead of the J.P. Morgan Health Conference in San Francisco in January 2023, Australian Health Journal met with Clinials CEO & Founder Maree Beare about developing the next generation recruitment platform and digital marketing service for clinical research. Maree talks about the reasons why clinical trials can fail and the importance of bringing participants much more closer to researchers.
With this need, the Clinials platform is geared towards patient centric trials and reducing site burden. The aim is to accelerate lifesaving medicines coming to market by connecting participants and researchers. The platform allows participants to come to researchers with their eligibility in hand among other capabilities.
Supporting CRO’s, sites and sponsors, the Clinials platform uses AI to convert complex trial protocol into plain language and pre-screening questions. This gives researchers the tools to communicate with their participants meaningfully. The plain language text can be used in a variety of situations like researcher led advertising, landing pages and plain language summaries.
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Forum fosters dialogue in breast cancer
In October 2024, the Frazier Institute hosted an event dedicated to breast cancer advocacy and research, supported by TRI (Translational Research Institute), National Breast Cancer Foundation, PA Research Foundation, Health Translation Queensland, QUT and The University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine/Frazer Institute.
The key aim of the event co-organised by Associate Professor Joy Wolfram, Group Leader, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology & School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland was to foster dialogue between breast cancer lived experience advocates (consumers), researchers, and clinicians.
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Success in WA pilot to observe babies showing delays in social interaction & communication development
Inklings – led by The Kids Research Institute Australia – is a program for babies aged 6-18 months whose communications skills are developing differently to expected milestones. In early 2025 it has completed the first year of a pilot program.
At the time of filming (Nov 2024), Inklings has received more then 300 enquiries across WA and started to deliver services to 160 children, with almost 60 who have completed the program.
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Landmark Australian-led study revises thresholds to diagnose and treat anaemia
In 2014, WEHI researchers began a study at the request of the World Health Organization (WHO), to formally review its global anaemia guidelines that were last updated in 1968.
Study lead and Acting WEHI Deputy Director, Professor Sant-Rayn Pasricha, speaking to Australian Health Journal said while anaemia can be diagnosed by measuring the amount of haemoglobin in the blood, there is currently no consensus on the thresholds that should be used to define the condition.
