Parexel and NUS team on clinical research training academy

By Gareth Macdonald

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Clinical research Clinical trial

US CRO Parexel has set out to foster clinical research talent in Singapore through a new training academy

The academy, which is being set up in partnership with the National University of Singapore NUS), will offer a number of professional training programmes for clinical research associates, study co-ordinators, nurses and other staff involved in trials.

The emphasis will be on teaching students how to conduct clinical trials that are in accordance with International Conference on Harmonization-Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) standards, which is an approach used at Parexel's other training academy in Berlin, Germany.

Singapore is fast becoming a hub for clinical research, playing host to the most trials in Asia by head of population​ between 2006 and 2009 according to data from clinicatrials.gov.

This rapid growth has been driven by both drug industry demand – pharmas want to conduct trials in Asia to access new markets – and the recent influx of contract research organisations (CRO) and service providers into the country.

In the few years CROs like Parexel​, PPD​, Clintec International​, Chiltern International​ and inVentiv Health​ have all moved to build the presences in the country, while logistics giant World Courier​ has started work on a dedicated clinical trial supply distribution centre.

Demand for CRAs

However, while this influx for foreign expertise has helped Singapore's trial infrastructure to develop rapidly, it has left the island with a talent shortfall - namely a lack of appropriately trained research staff.

The Government first moved to address this in 2010​ when it launched two certification courses - focused on everything from patient recruitment to protocol development - in a moved designed to broaden and deepen SIingapore's clinical research talent pool.

But despite this effort there is still a demand for properly trained clinical research staff, which was a key factor in Parexel’s decision to establish the new academy according to Albert Siu, VP of learning and development.

"The Academy's location in Singapore provides students with access to a significant business centre for the Asia-Pacific region, and supports regional growth in the clinical development field.”

This was echoed by Chan Sui Yung, head of NUS’ department of pharmacy, who described the partnership as a “timely initiative to equip clinical development professionals with critical skills to effectively and efficiently translate research from the laboratory into clinical studies, and ultimately to bring significant life-saving treatments to patients in Asia and around the world​.”

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