Early Clinical Trials Unit – an opportunity for more effective treatment

24.06.2019

Bringing a drug to market involves a clinical trial. The first administration of a new substance to people takes place under special supervision. Is the new drug safe? Is it worth developing? This question will be answered by the Early Clinical Trials Unit at the University Clinical Centre, MUG Hospital – the only multidisciplinary centre of its kind in Poland.

Today’s medicine is developing rapidly, but the possibilities for effective treatment of many diseases remain limited. New drugs will not be launched on the market without evidence of their efficacy and safety. The only way to verify the efficacy and safety of promising new medical substances is to subject them to clinical trials. Such trials are conducted in facilities with adequate infrastructure, medical facilities, and specialised staff. The UCC clinics are involved in around 20% of the total clinical trials conducted in Poland, but so far these have mainly been phase II and III trials, which aim to demonstrate the efficacy of a drug before it is marketed.

In March 2019, the Early Clinical Trials Unit began operations at the University Clinical Centre. This is a dedicated unit where researchers obtain new information on the mechanisms of action and behaviour in the body of an investigational substance administered to humans for the first time, determine its safety, as well the balance of a positive therapeutic effect and possible side effects. During this stage of research, a safe dose of a given substance is also determined and recommended for subsequent stages of research.

The opening ceremony took place on 19 June 2019. The event was hosted by Professor Rafal Dziadziuszko, medical coordinator of the Centre, and Blanka Seklecka, head of the Centre. The event was attended by, among others, Piotr Borawski, Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk for Entrepreneurship and Climate Protection, Prof. Marcin Gruchała, Rector of the MUG, Prof. Edyta Szurowska, Vice-Rector for Clinical Affairs of GUMed, representatives of the management of the University Clinical Centre: Jakub Kraszewski, Tomasz Stefaniak, Ph.D., Arkadiusz Lendzion, Adam Sudoł and Dorota Kuzimska.