The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) exists as a team under the umbrella of the Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service Department at the Alfred Hospital.

It has grown since the turn of the century from a small group of people collecting data for trials, to now a team of 30 members.

The team are equipped with specialist skills in database management, ethics applications, and laboratory preparation of samples for research. 

Currently, we have 12 trial coordinators working on the 114 currently active trials.

We work on sponsored studies awarded to us by pharmaceutical companies, but we also help develop, support and run home-grown studies written by Australian investigators and conducted across many sites. We act as the Trial Centre for sponsors such as the ALLG and AMaRC.

We develop the data collection tools, support sites to conduct the studies and supervise the drug distribution and data collection.

More recently, our disease base has broadened. We conduct trials in myeloma, leukaemia and lymphoma, as well as some of myeloproliferative disorders and non-malignant disorders such as haemophilia.