Medical Oncology Research Trials (MOR)

A clinical trial is a type of scientific research that studies a medical test or treatment, to see if it is safe, helpful, and effective. If found to be safe and helpful, today’s trial might become tomorrow’s treatment.

The Medical Oncology Research Trial Unit (MOR Trials) has been delivering clinical trials for all types of cancer for over 30 years. MOR Trials vision is to provide people of the Hunter with access to cutting-edge clinical trial options.

The MOR Trials Team is a combination of experienced investigators, clinical trial fellows, experienced trial coordinators, data managers, and ethics, finance and laboratory experts. We are also supported by a Clinical Trial Pharmacy Team.

MOR Trials has up to 40 trials actively open and recruiting participants at any given time.

We have a wide variety of clinical trials, including early trials of newly invented drugs (phase 1b), trials testing more developed medicines (phase 2) and definitive clinical trials that hope to prove that a new drug is indeed tomorrow’s best treatment (phase 3).

We work with many commercial partners to deliver many of these trials but also support a large number of cooperative group trials.

MOR Trials is well recognised as an established clinical trials unit undertaking sponsored trials.

MOR Trials has been recognised with the Asia-Pac Site Patient Recruitment Innovation Award (SPRIA) 2018 by the Society of Clinical Research Sites for our innovative, patient-directed enrolment strategies and the Australian Gastrointestinal Trials Group (AGTIG) Outstanding Site Award 2019 for team enthusiasm, quality, innovation, trial promotion and engagement.

The unit also manages the Oncology NSW ClinTrial refer app, a resource that connects patients with doctors and clinical trials.

We are a member of the Clinical Cancer Research Network (CCRN), a consortia of eight clinical trials units who work synergistically to ensure the highest quality clinical trials are facilitated throughout our local health district.

As well as undertaking sponsored trials, the unit has an evolving portfolio of investigator-sponsored research, with in-house trials underway and in development in many tumour streams.

We have data management capabilities with the implementation of the REDCap EDC, and collect, store and distribute a wide panel of biospecimens from these studies.

Many of the coordination team contribute to local, national and international clinical trial education and cooperative activities, and investigators are active members of Australasian cancer cooperative groups, some having current leadership roles. The units alumni have gone on to win clinical trial fellowship positions, and establish new trial services.

Organisational processes include:

  • Robust and routinely review Standard Operating Procedures and Working Instructions
  • An integrated clinical trial management system for optimal trial execution
  • An active digital screening for all trials so that every potential patient is offered the opportunity of trial participation
  • Five business day data entry
  • Electronic investigator site files (eISF)

Governance processes include:

  • Strong internal governance guided by the principles Mission of the Little Company of Mary
  • A balanced portfolio of trials, attempting to provide opportunities for different people with different cancers
  • A strict policy of not initiating competing trials; investigators work as a team, not against each other
  • Routine weekly investigator meetings and team research review and portfolio meetings
  • An internal protocol review before trial acceptance
  • A commitment to undertake trials first and foremost for our patients, attending to sustainability for the team second, and academic outcomes for investigators as the lowest priority

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