Capital Health and University of Alberta launch Alberta's first Phase I clinical trials facility

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Following its recent pledge to increase research investment in Edmonton from $10 million to $75 million per year by 2010, the Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and Research Centre (NACTRC), a joint venture of the University of Alberta and Capital Health, is unveiling a new Phase I clinical trials facility within the Dr. Peter Crockford Clinical Investigation Unit (CIU) at Capital Health's University of Alberta Hospital.

The Phase I Unit will enable researchers to perform first-in-human testing of new molecules for medical treatment.

"This is an exciting venture that will place the City of Edmonton, the University of Alberta, and Capital Health in the elite company of only a few worldwide research centres with a Phase I Unit in a fully integrated academic health region and university platform," said Dr. Richard Fedorak, director of NACTRC. "The Phase I Unit is the first of its kind in Alberta, one of only four in Canada and the most advanced facility of its kind in the Western provinces. It has the further advantage, unique in the country, of being under one roof with a major adult research hospital, a leading children's hospital, and the new Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, the first facility of its kind in the West."

The Phase I Unit enables Alberta's biotech companies to conduct Phase I clinical trials in Edmonton. Previously local companies had to go outside the province or outside the country to conduct research with new molecules. By leveraging the facilities and expertise of Capital Health and the University of Alberta, the Phase I Unit will be able to host research by multinational pharmaceutical companies, as well as providing crucial infrastructure for Alberta's burgeoning biotech industry.

"The launch of the Phase I Unit will solidify Edmonton's position as the Western Canadian hub for biotechnology," said Mayor Stephen Mandel. "This new facility is a natural fit for Edmonton's strong medical community, its well-educated labour force and its tradition of clinical research excellence."

NACTRC and the Phase I Unit also address the need to diversify the city's economy beyond the resources sector.

Sheila Weatherill, president and CEO of Capital Health, said the new facility complements Capital Health's vision of health excellence and economic growth in the region. "The Phase I Unit will help leverage our health system as an economic driver for Edmonton," said Weatherill. "The collaboration between the City of Edmonton, Capital Health and the University of Alberta is a testament to the Mayor's vision, and to the talent and drive of our clinicians, scientists and biotech entrepreneurs."