The Society of Interventional Oncology (SIO) has announced the launch of a new research database and educational initiative, the Clinical Trial Collaborative (CTC).
The launch of this initiative was announced today at the SIO (30 January—3 February, Las Vegas, USA) annual scientific meeting. The CTC features a principal investigator (PI) online certificate course and a first-of-its-kind, searchable directory of interventional oncology (IO) and interventional radiology (IR) investigators, including relevant trial site information and available resources to support clinical study development and execution.
The development of the CTC addresses a critical need in the IO field for research education and an organised research community for qualified investigators to explore and access site-specific resources for conducting trials, meeting enrolment requirements, completing protocol endpoints, and maintaining compliant research practices. The database is expected to become available for industry subscription and access by 2026.
“The Clinical Trial Collaborative is the first of its kind and will provide the community an infrastructure to advance science as well as advance the technologies and clinical treatments for the betterment of patient care,” said SIO president Muneeb Ahmed (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA). “SIO is answering an unmet need to train, develop, and provide a community to bring together all those practicing within the interventional oncology field.”
The SIO has stated that the CTC directory will provide the foundation for a robust clinical site network. The PI certificate course is geared towards early-career professionals looking to advance their experience in clinical research, as well as industry members and fellow IO physicians and researchers looking for qualified sites who share similar research interests to enrol patients in their specific trial.
“The development of the Clinical Trial Collaborative is a multi-layered effort by SIO to grow a clinical trial base of qualified investigators and sites for industry or investigator sponsored trials,” said SIO research advisor Michael Soulen (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA). “Partners will identify sites for multicentre trials and, with the SIO training, have a level of confidence that the individuals in those instances understand how to be study collaborators and conduct studies to successful completion.”
