News

New Evidence: Higher Oxygen Concentrations May Help Prevent Deaths in Very Premature Babies

25/06/24

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney suggests that providing higher oxygen concentrations to very premature babies soon after birth could halve their risk of death. The findings challenge current international recommendations and emphasize the critical role of oxygen delivery during the first moments of an infant’s life.

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Melanoma study wins the 2024 ACTA Health Economics Award

20/05/24

Two senior researchers from the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre at the University of Sydney have won the ACTA HEAT Excellence in Trial-Based Health Economics Award.

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CTC supports the Voice to Parliament

15/09/23

The NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre proudly supports the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament for better First Nations health outcomes.

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Australian Trials Methodology Conference

28/06/23

The AusTriM Research Network warmly invite you to join them at their second Australian Trials Methodology Conference, a hybrid event which will take place both in person and online on the 17th and 18th October 2023 in Melbourne.

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The Lancet Oncology publishes OUTBACK study results

20/04/23

The results of the OUTBACK trial, a landmark multinational phase 3 trial investigating the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in women with locally advanced cervical cancer, have been published in The Lancet Oncology.

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Regorafenib Improves Survival in Refractory Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer

23/01/23

“International clinical trial demonstrates improved survival with new treatment for patients with advanced gastro-oesophageal cancer.” Results presented today at the 2023 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI)

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NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre 2022 Highlights

12/12/22

The NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) continued to grow and celebrate multiple milestones in 2022. By December, we had over 100 active trials including 11 that began recruiting this year and 15 in start up.

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Incorporating carbon emissions into health technology assessments

12/12/22

Approximately 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by healthcare. With the increasingly urgent need for the world to decarbonise if it is to meet its 1.5-2C warming targets, healthcare must play its role. 56 countries have now formally committed to developing low-carbon health systems, with 21 of these committing to net-zero between 2030 and 2050.

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CLARITY on a clinically controversial question for the treatment of COVID-19

17/11/22

New research finds the addition of a common blood pressure treatment does not improve outcomes in patients hospitalised with mild COVID-19.

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Dr Kristy Robledo announced as finalist for Western Sydney Women Awards 2022

04/10/22

Dr Kristy Robledo, Research Fellow in biostatistics at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre has been announced as the finalist for Woman in STEM Award as part of the Western Sydney Women Awards 2022.

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Assessing the value of precision medicine health technologies to detect and manage melanoma

04/09/22

Precision medicine technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way melanoma is detected and managed. This perspective article, outlines the current challenges and potential recommendations for Australian HTA agencies such as the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to assess the value of precision medicine diagnostics.

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New study shows muscle pain is not due to statins in over 90% of those taking the treatment – based on evidence from randomised trials

30/08/22

Statin therapies are not the cause of muscle pain in over 90% of those who experience symptoms, according to a new study led by researchers from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration.

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The umbilical cord - a human lifeline

31/07/22

ABC Radio host Andrea Webb interviews CTC Director of Neonatal Research Professor William Tarnow-Mordi about the human lifeline - the umbilical cord. William discusses recent research that demonstrates delaying cord clamping is highly beneficial.

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Assessing life expectancy for voluntary assisted dying may prove challenging

25/07/22

Doctors determining a person's eligibility for voluntary assisted dying must assess life expectancy which is an 'inherently uncertain and imprecise' task made more difficult by inconsistent wording across state legislation, according to University of Sydney experts.

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Trial to test if pill can prevent abdominal cancer in at risk women

20/06/22

Some women who undergo preventative surgery to avoid reproductive cancers go on to develop incurable abdominal cancer. A clinical trial, involving the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, is testing a way to possibly prevent this.

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ENZAMET and TheraP at top US Conference

08/06/22

The ANZUP-led ENZAMET and TheraP trials were selected as two of four prostate cancer trials presented at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology annual conference.

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Celebrating International Clinical Trials Day 2022

20/05/22

To recognise International Clinical Trials Day on 20 May, the University of Sydney spoke with Director of the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, Professor Meg Jardine, on current research occurring at the CTC and how COVID-19 emphasised the importance of clinical trials.

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Professor Alicia Jenkins receives RACP International Medal

14/05/22

Professor Alicia Jenkins is the 2022 recipient of the RACP International Medal for her outstanding service in developing countries.

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Untapping the Hidden Value of Clinical Trial Registries

27/04/22

Opinion piece by Kylie Hunter in BMJ

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ENZAMET - new standard of care for prostate cancer

17/03/22

Quality-of-life data from the ENZAMET trial showed greater initial declines in some areas with enzalutamide compared with physician's choice of bicalutamide, nilutamide, or flutamide, in men with recently diagnosed, metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, but there were overall benefits out to 3 years due to delayed disease progression.

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World Kidney Day 2022: How CTC researchers are addressing the burden

08/03/22

The theme for this year’s Kidney Health Day is “Bridge the Knowledge Gap to Better Kidney Care”. Kidney disease related mortality continues to increase yearly and is projected to be the 5th leading cause of death by 2040. To recognise this important day, we spoke with CTC’s Dr Brendan Smyth and Dr Jessica Dawson who share a passion for improving health outcomes for people with kidney disease.

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CTC Directors Join World’s Experts to Talk Kidney Health at WCN’22

25/02/22

Prof Meg Jardine and Prof Rachael Morton, Director and Deputy Director of the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) at the University of Sydney joined the world’s leading experts in kidney health at the ISN World Congress of Nephrology (WCN’22) in late February.

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A minutes delay could make a lifetime of difference

09/12/21

Two-year follow-up shows delaying umbilical cord clamping saves babies' lives

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Prof Angela Webster receives HSRAANZ Distinguished Investigator Award

02/12/21

The CTC’s Prof Angela Webster has received the HSRAANZ Distinguished Investigator (mid-career) Award for her significant and lasting contribution to the field of health services and health policy research.

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Kidney failure impacts life expectancy of women more than men

17/11/21

New research finds women experience a greater loss in life expectancy, and higher likelihood of premature death from kidney disease than men, highlighting a need to find the cause.

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Insulin at 100: a lifesaving discovery but more remains to be done

14/11/21

The theme for this year’s World Diabetes Day and for the next 2-years is ‘Access to Diabetes Care’. One hundred years after its discovery, insulin and other diabetes medicines and care still remain beyond the reach of many who need them.

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$5M grant to investigate relationship between gut and lung in respiratory disease

22/10/21

Australian researchers have been awarded a $5 million National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grant for a project that will advance knowledge of the gut, microbiomes, metabolites and diet, and their role in both causing and potentially treating inflammatory respiratory diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

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CTC researchers awarded over $4 million in NHMRC funding

14/09/21

Three CTC researchers have received over $4 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to improve the health of Australians.

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CTC announces new Deputy Director

10/09/21

Professor Rachael Morton has been officially appointed to the role of Deputy Director of the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre (CTC).

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Can a common blood pressure medication bring ‘clarity’ to the treatment of COVID-19?

30/08/21

A common blood pressure medication is at the centre of a new COVID-19 treatment clinical trial led by a collaboration of the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre at the University of Sydney and The George Institute for Global Health (India, Australia, and the UK).

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Fresh hope for blood cancer patients

04/08/21

New clinical trial with genomics focus may offer fresh hope for blood cancer patients

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What is a clinical trial?

20/07/21

Have you ever been part of a clinical trial? Phillip Clark found out what a clinical trial is, who runs and funds them and what the guidelines are around conducting them. Duration: 49min 56sec Broadcast: Mon 19 Jul 2021, 10:00pm

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Review of Australian COVID-19 research finds lack of collaboration and crucial gaps

19/07/21

Researchers are calling for improved national coordination of Australian COVID-19 trials, after analysis finds lack of data sharing and collaboration resulting in crucial research gaps.

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Trialling new ways to improve the health of people with diabetes.

12/07/21

Trialling new ways to improve the health of people with diabetes.

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Mortality in 4 out of every 10 elderly COVID-19 cases

25/06/21

New data analytics study gives key insight into COVID-19 mortality risk in Australia

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World’s largest screening project to launch in Australia to prevent disabling strokes

07/06/21

HRI’s Professor Ben Freedman, Dr Nicole Lowres and Dr Katrina Giskes have received a significant Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant that is poised to transform Australia’s stroke-related healthcare. The trials will be coordinated by the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre at The University of Sydney under the guidance of Professors Anthony Keech and John Simes.

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OUTBACK Trial Among the Most Important Cervical Cancer Research Advances in the Past Year

04/06/21

A significant international study in cervical cancer treatment, the ANZGOG-led OUTBACK trial will be presented at the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting Plenary Session to reveal its highly anticipated results.

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World-first clinical trial targets immune molecule IL23 as potential treatment for sarcoma

26/03/21

Sydney researchers are testing whether an existing medication could be repurposed to treat sarcoma.

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Rethink prompted on immediate cord clamping for pre-term babies

12/03/21

New study to influence clinical practice globally Changing how pre-term babies' umbilical cords are clamped could improve outcomes and save babies lives, prompting an update of the international guidelines that inform global practice.

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CTC Director to lead promising new COVID-19 study

01/12/20

The CLARITY 2.0 study looks at the Dimerix lead candidate DMX-200 combined with Angiotensin Receptor Blockers to treat respiratory issues associated with COVID-19. The study will recruit patients at an early stage of respiratory complications, prior to the onset of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

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ENZAMET Trifecta

12/11/20

ENZAMET scooped the pool at the ACTA Trial of the Year Awards Ceremony winning the 2020 ACTA Trial of the Year Award, the ACTA STInG Award for Excellence in Trial Statistics and the Consumer Involvement Award. A fantastic achievement and the first trial to win all three awards!

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Nurse-led care helping Indigenous diabetes

12/11/20

Trained nurse and PhD candidate, Sharon Atkinson-Briggs, has made a huge impact on the prevention and management of diabetes-related eye damage in the Indigenous community in regional Victoria.

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New Director to lead CTC

22/10/20

We are very pleased to officially welcome Professor Meg Jardine to the CTC to lead the centre into its next phase of growth and development.

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Quality of life for breast cancer patients

14/10/20

On the inaugural World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day, we look back at the successful SNAC (Sentinel Node Biopsy Versus Axillary Clearance) trial to remember the impact it has had on the treatment of women with early breast cancer.

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Cannabis found to benefit chemotherapy patients

18/09/20

Researchers found cannabis could help reduce nausea and vomiting, two common and debilitating side effects of chemotherapy.

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Vic's peak probably already passed

13/08/20

Victoria's number of COVID-19 cases is likely to have peaked late July.

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CTC-led paper shows rise in gout worldwide

12/08/20

The CTC’s Dr Emma Smith was senior author on a paper that found gout cases have risen up to 20% in Australia in the last 20 years.

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Tackling diabetes

14/07/20

The CTC is part of a university wide effort to tackle diabetes.

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Our contribution to COVID-19

10/06/20

The CTC is calling on its research expertise to help bolster responses to COVID-19.

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TheraP featured on CH9

02/06/20

CTC is collaboraing with ANZUP on a world first treatment for prostrate cancer.

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CTC paper shows COVID-19 disaster averted

01/06/20

A data analytics study from the CTC's Prof Ian Marschner suggests the timing of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia stopped a significant growth in infections.

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How to recruit for a trial

28/05/20

Following a successful recruitment strategy for the T4DM trial, Karen Bracken shares her lessons learned when recruiting for a trial.

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CTC tells ABC more random sampling needed

28/04/20

Our Biostatistics Director, Prof Ian Marschner, tells ABC random sampling across geographies is just as important as hot spot testing in determining infection rates.

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CTC is open during COVID-19

01/04/20

The vast majority of staff are working from home to ensure clinical trial research can continue.

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Early start key to combating childhood obesity

04/03/20

On World Obesity Day, a new study shows that early education and support for pregnant women and parents could be key to combating rising rates of obesity in Australian kids.

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Prof John Simes awarded AO

31/01/20

On Australia Day, Director of the CTC, Prof John Simes, received an Order of Australia award (AO) for his service to cancer research and clinical trials

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CTC staff pick up Uni data and supervisor awards

06/12/19

CTC’s Medidata Implementation team and our Health Economics head, A/Prof Rachael Morton, received two coveted awards from the University for 2019.

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Biostats discipline needs fostering in big data era

08/11/19

Australian medical research is at risk of punching below its weight unless more attention is paid to the discipline of biostatistics.

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High class ACTA outing

11/10/19

CTC staff shined in the recent Australian Clinical Trials Alliance conference.

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New CRE supporting innovative trials

24/09/19

The CTC will perform a key role in a newly announced Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in clinical trials methodology.

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Prof Stockler receives MOGA cancer achievement award

09/09/19

The CTC’s Prof Martin Stockler has received the prestigious MOGA Novartis Cancer Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to medical oncology in Australia.

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Back of eye holds secrets for people with diabetes

10/07/19

A new trial being undertaken by the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre is photographing the back of the eye of those living with diabetes to help them avoid losing their vision and the risks of amputation and heart disease.

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Consumer partnership wins inaugural ACTA award

24/05/19

CTC’s partnership with Miracle Babies Foundation - a consumer body representing parents of sick newborns - has received the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance’s inaugural award for consumer engagement.

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Pioneering the recruitment of preterm babies

02/04/19

In a long awaited study on preterm babies, the CTC and its partners have taken a pioneering path to ensure they get enough trial participants and can positively impact babies lives around the word.

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Statins found to be safe and effective for the elderly

11/03/19

Statin therapy is safe and effective in older people over 75 years and reduces major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes, according to new research by the University of Sydney's Clinical Trials Centre published in The Lancet.

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CTC investigators awarded new funding

10/01/19

Eleven CTC investigators were awarded new funding from the NHMRC, the ARC, the MRFF, Cure Brain Cancer, and the Danish Diabetes Academy.

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Leading role in EU migration report

13/12/18

CTC leads review of cost-effectiveness for screening and vaccinating migrants for European Union.

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New ways to kill pancreatic cancer

13/09/18

Pancreatic cancer could be treated using a new form of radiotherapy that delivers highly targeted doses of radiation to kill tumour cells.

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Prof Tony Keech receives Vice Chancellor's Award

30/07/18

The award was established to celebrate exceptional performance at the University of Sydney.

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Lancet review calls for access to diabetes tools

25/07/18

In a recent review article, the CTC joins calls for better access to blood glucose meters and test strips for diabetes sufferers.

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Young neuro cancer patients get $1m boost

25/07/18

The Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO) at the CTC was awarded funding from CanTeen to give adolescent and young adult cancer patients access to the latest in treatment.

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CTC Fellow wins Peter Bancroft Award

31/05/18

Congratulations to the CTC's Mbathio Dieng, who won a prestigious University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine Award for her PhD research into managing stress and fear of cancer recurrence in recovering, early-stage melanoma patients.

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Neonatal team takes out premier ACTA award

16/05/18

A life-saving placental transfusion study led by CTC's Professor William Tarnow-Mordi received the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance 'Trial of the Year' Award.

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Trial benefits exceed costs: report

31/07/17

A report authored by ACTA and an Australian Commission says trials return $5.80 for every $1 invested.

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